Carnival
by Ferdy 63
Summary: A Bethyl story. OC. No walkers. What would happen if Beth met Daryl when he rolled into town with the carnival? Hopefully multi chapter. I've been working on this idea for a while. Rating changed to M as things get steamy in chapter 5.
1. Chapter 1

It was only the middle of March and already nearly eighty degrees. Elizabeth Ann Greene, as her mother called her when she misbehaved, decided to seek a little comfort in the shade of the back porch. Her Daddy didn't believe in air conditioning unless it was over a hundred degrees. He said it made people soft. It was one of many things about her father that she found much too old fashioned, but there was no changing him so she had learned to suffer in silence.

As she applied the second coat of Bohemian Burgundy to her toe nails, she heard the rumble of large trucks passing on the highway. You couldn't see the road through the trees surrounding the pasture but she knew what it meant. The carnival was in town. The signs had been posted all over downtown for weeks.

She quickly capped the nail polish and picked up her cell phone to call her best friend Allyson. They'd been best friends since they were in first grade nearly fifteen years ago now. They knew all of each other's secrets and were in fact more like sisters. She actually trusted Ally more than she trusted her big sister Maggie if the truth was told, but she'd never say that to anyone. She loved her family and always tried to stay on good terms with them.

"Ally, I just heard them. The carnival's headin' to the fairgrounds. We gotta go over there tonight," Beth started yammering excitedly as soon as her friend answered.

"I don't know if I can, Bethy," she whispered. "My mama's already spittin' mad about me getting home late last night after I went out with Nathan. You know how she is. If I go out again, I'll be hearing it for a month."

"Well, just tell her we've got choir practice or somethin' and you're ridin' with me," Beth suggested. "She'll believe that. That's what I was gonna tell my Daddy."

"Umm, okay, that'll work," Ally agreed. I'll be over in about an hour." As Beth ended the call, she was already thinking about what she would wear tonight. She wanted to be eye catching but not like she was trying too hard or being slutty. It was a fine line.

She went straight up to her room and tried on several outfits only to discard them across the bed or chair a minute later. She settled on a coral and white patterned tank top with spaghetti straps and a faded denim mini skirt that fit her slim hips snugly and showed off her legs. Her favorite cowboy boots completed the look.

After the outfit was chosen, she took some time to brush her hair and then braid it into one thick blonde rope that hung down her back. She applied a little coral lip gloss and mascara and decided that was enough. It was exactly the look she was going for. By the time Ally arrived, she was ready but she stopped to write a quick note telling her father that she had choir practice at the university and would be home no later than nine o'clock.

The two girls ran out to the old rust bucket Chevy truck that was Beth's only means of transportation. As they sped off the farm road leaving a cloud of dust behind them, they rolled down the windows and whooped with delight as they headed for the fairgrounds.

While Beth drove, Ally pulled two cherry lollipops from her purse. They were the round kind with bubble gum in the center. She opened hers and began sucking on it and passed the other to Beth.

"I'm not hungry," Beth said.

"It's not for eatin', silly," Ally told her. "It makes your lips all red and pouty and suckin' on it while you talk to a guy is sexy as hell. "

"God, who teaches you this stuff Ally," Beth asked, exasperated with her friend.

"Well, Belinda Carmichael told me about it last year right after she had that fling with the carny guy who had that red convertible. He told her the cherry Blow Pop was what did him in," Ally said.

"And look how well that turned out for her," Beth cautioned. "How old is her baby now, 2 or 3 months and no daddy around to help her tend to it? Belinda is not the type of person you want to be getting romantic advice from."

As they pulled up in the parking lot next to the large fairground, they noticed the whole area was bustling with activity. The trucks Beth heard must have been the last to arrive because they'd clearly been working all day setting this stuff up. Ally quickly checked her hair in a compact mirror and made sure that the red from her lollipop was smeared on her lips.

"Really?" Beth asked sarcastically. "You're still gonna do that?" Ally just smiled and opened the truck door.

Ally was obviously looking for some action with these guys. Beth liked a little attention, maybe a whistle or some flirting. It was good for a girl's ego but anything beyond that she wasn't interested in. While Beth wasn't a virgin, she held a higher standard for herself than Ally seemed to. The only boy who'd ever made it past first base with Beth was her high school boyfriend of two years, Jimmy Nolan. It had only been twice and it hadn't been good. It wasn't why she broke up with him a week after graduation but it certainly didn't help matters.

As the girls walked around the periphery of the fairgrounds and watched the scattered small groups work on various rides, it became pretty clear that this year's carnies were an older bunch than they normally employed. Beth saw a lot of pot bellies and gray beard stubble. Ally finally spotted two young guys working near the ferris wheel. The girls strolled over casually.

The two young men immediately noticed Beth and Ally and acknowledged them with winks and smiles. It wasn't long before they took a break and headed over to introduce themselves. Within a few minutes, Beth completely lost interest.

Justin and Bobby were the guys' names and they were both thick necked country boys with crew cuts and camo trucker hats. They wore dirty t-shirts and Wrangler jeans with the unmistakable round imprint of a Skoal can in the back pocket. These were the same kind of guys that both girls had grown up with. The biggest concerns they'd ever have were when hunting season started and who was pitching for the Braves this year.

Beth made an excuse and left Ally to keep up her lively discussion with the boys about the best bar in town and walked further around the fenced enclosure. Her eyes traveled up the side of the giant wheel as the lights on its struts flickered on. That's the first time she noticed the guy near the top of the thing.

It was hard to make out much except that he was lean with wide muscled shoulders. He was shirtless and wearing cutoff jeans and tan work boots. The sweat glistened on his skin in the rainbow light being cast by the carnival ride. His dark hair was long, well past his ears, and hung in choppy wet strands against the back of his neck. Something about his silhouette up there made her catch her breath sharply. She stood and watched as his back and arm muscles flexed while he worked.

As he finished his chore and began to descend, Beth could make out his features more clearly. His chest, arms and hands were black with oil and dirt and he was casually wiping them on a red rag that hung from his front pocket. His face was angular with almost catlike eyes. The beginnings of a small goatee on his chin added to the rugged character of his appearance.

Beth smiled as she watched him joke with his departing coworkers before playfully flipping them off. He tilted his chin up in a sort of farewell salute as they walked away. Then, his gaze turned to her.

Beth suddenly wished she'd taken that lollipop from Ally. It might make her look more sexy or whatever but it would definitely give her something to do with her hands. She finally decided on putting them in her back pockets and leaning casually against the fence.

"Hey," he said gruffly as he walked up next to her.

"Hey yourself," she replied, trying to act flippant.

"You were watchin' me work," he told her. His direct style made Beth even more nervous. She didn't know how to respond.

"No, I, um, I mean I was," she stammered, "I mean, um, aren't you scared up there. It's so high." Good save she thought to herself.

"Nah, I like it. Best view in town," he told her looking back up at the perch he'd just descended from and then directly at her.

"Cool," she replied as her gaze quickly shifted downward. Holding eye contact made her feel shaky and sweaty all at once. Cool? She thought to herself. That's what you're going to say. Just cool?

"I'm Beth, by the way, Beth Greene," she finally managed to get out as she extended her hand.

He didn't smile or give any indication he'd heard other than to pull off his work glove and extend his own hand. "Daryl Dixon," he said as they shook hands. She was surprised by how rough his hand was. Even her father, a farmer for most of his life, didn't have hands this tough and calloused. She was so into thinking about how his hand felt that she didn't realize that she hadn't yet let go of it. She quickly released him and dropped her head in embarrassment. Still he made no comment.

"You must feel like you're flyin' when you're at the top of that wheel," Beth said after they stood awkwardly for a moment.

"Sometimes," he mumbled as he chewed on his lower lip a bit. Beth noticed that his eyes were a greenish blue color, different than anyone she'd ever seen before.

"So you been working for the carnival for long?" she asked in an effort to continue the conversation.

"I guess it's been 'bout a year and a half. Me and my brother bought it off the last owners fore they retired," he told her.

"You bought it? The whole carnival? You're the owner?" Beth asked, a bit incredulous. He was the least like an owner of anyone she could imagine.

He looked a bit insulted. "What? I don't look like someone who can run this joint?" he huffed back at her.

"No, it's not that. I just….well I didn't think the owner would be climbing the ferris wheel doing manual labor is all. I didn't mean anything by it," she quickly tried to explain.

"Yeah, I know. We ain't exactly flush with experienced crew members. I didn't trust nobody else to do this," he said as he glanced over to where the two rednecks were still acting besotted with Ally. "Is that your friend over there with those two pricks?"

"Yeah," Beth gulped as she answered.

"Well, tell her Justin's 'bout as deep as a puddin' cup and Bobby, hell, he ain't got enough sense to blow his own nose. I wouldn't say they're what you'd call great catches," he told her.

Beth couldn't help herself. She started to giggled and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She looked up to see that Daryl was smiling back at her.

"You said you own this with your brother. Does he travel with you?" Beth asked.

"Merle? Yeah, he's, ah, he's with us. At least he is, when he ain't on some little 'vacation'," he told her with a sort of smirk.

"Why does he take so many trips?" she asked naively.

"Good question," was all Daryl had to say in response.

Right at that moment the two of them heard someone yelling from across the large field. A man in jeans and a black vest was standing near the campers and waving his arms above his head.

"Darlina, hey, where the hell are we? I need to make a run to the liquor store," the guy was yelling in a slurred tone as he sort of weaved back and forth where he was standing.

"Shit, speak of the devil," he said as he turned toward the campers.

"Who's that? Is he yelling for Darlene?" she asked, expecting he'd go off about some drunken employee.

"That is my dumbass brother," he said flatly, "and I gotta go before he gets his self in any more trouble." He leaped over the fence between them and turned to give her one last glance before jogging away. "It was nice to meet you, Beth Greene," he told her quickly.

Beth felt a little unsteady watching him run across the field. It was like he was pulling the gravity with him as he moved away from her and she was almost convinced she was coming untethered from the ground. She grabbed the top rail of the fence to steady herself. She was 21 years old and never in her life had she experienced the kind of emotional response she was having to the greasy guy who'd just ran off to tend to a drunken brother.

She looked back down the fence line and found that Ally had paired off with one of the redneck 'pricks' as Daryl had called them. Beth wasn't sure whether it was Justin or Bobby and it honestly didn't matter. As far as she was concerned, they were interchangeable. She walked back over to where her friend stood with the Justin/Bobby creature leaned in whispering in her ear.

"Hey, Ally. It's almost eight o'clock. We need to be headin' out," Beth told her friend.

"But I thought we had until nine," Ally protested.

"No, I told my folks eight," she lied giving Ally the 'don't argue with me look' that only a best friend of fifteen years would understand.

"Fine," Ally huffed. "Bobby, I'll see you later and you've got my number."

The redneck grinned and tapped his cell phone. "Sure do, sweet thang and I'll be using it, you can bet on that," he said before spitting a dark brown stream of tobacco juice into the dirt. Beth turned her head to hide the grimace of distaste. Ally turned and waved to her new friend as they walked back to the parking lot.

When they got back in the truck, Ally was quick to turn and ask, "Why you in such an all fired hurry to get out of here?"

"I'm not in that much of a hurry. That guy you were talkin' to just didn't seem like much of a prize to me. I figured it'd be better to put a stop to that nonsense before it got started," Beth told her.

"Oh, really? And you, Miss High and Mighty, I guess the guy you were talkin' to was just a prince in comparison? Is that right?" Ally asked sarcastically.

"No, it's not like that. It's just you know you can do better than that, Ally," Beth said rather apologetically.

"Well, Bobby told me all about that old guy you were talkin' to. He may be the carnival owner but he's a total loser. His brother's a drunk and a junkie. The two of them spent some kind of insurance settlement to buy the carnival and they've done nothin' but lost money on it. Bobby says the drunk brother goes around makin' fun of your new friend all the time. That's why he was callin' him Darlina when he was yellin' across the field," Ally said, acting rather proud of the inside scoop she'd obtained.

Beth was puzzled. "Darlina? He calls his brother by a girl's name?" she asked.

"Yep and that ain't the worst of it," Ally continued. "Seems the old guy just out of jail for some drug charge and he's been spongin' off your guy ever since. Your friend just sits back and takes whatever it is his brother shovels at him. He's a wuss, Bobby says."

"He's not a wuss. I don't know what the story is but Daryl is tough. I promise you he could take Bobby on without even breaking a sweat," Beth said a bit more angrily than she intended.

Ally just clamped her mouth shut and turned to look out the window.

Beth quickly cooled off and realized how foolish they were being. "Hey, would you look at us? Fightin' about two guys we barely even talked to? This is silly," she said as she playfully slapped her friend on the arm.

Ally turned back toward her with the beginnings of a smile on her face. They both grinned and then in unison said, "Chicks before dicks," which they'd come up with back in high school in response to the jock trend of saying "Bros before ho's". Then they turned the radio up and sang along with Taylor Swift as they drove back to the farm.


	2. Chapter 2

Beth dropped Ally off on the way back home. It was just beginning to get dark thanks to Daylight Savings Time so it was easy to see Maggie sitting on the front porch and watching as the old pickup came to a rest in the driveway. Her sister waiting on the porch was never good news. She was the early warning system. Beth got out and reluctantly walked up to the door.

"Heads up. Daddy went out earlier and ran into the choir director. He knows you didn't have practice tonight," Maggie said quietly as she continued to flip through her magazine.

"Shit," Beth cursed under her breath. She quickly tried to think of a way to explain herself before marching into the house.

Hershel Greene was sitting at the table eating a piece of lemon pie and reading his bible when Beth breezed in.

"Hey, daddy," she said as she sat down beside him and swiped a finger into the meringue on his pie.

"How was choir practice?" he asked as he looked over at her.

"Well, that was actually a mix up on my part. I guess I wrote the date down wrong. Ally and I just drove around listening to the radio," Beth lied, keeping her finger crossed that he'd buy it.

"You didn't stop anywhere?" he asked as he forked up another bite of pie.

"Um, nowhere special," she said as she licked the sticky sweetness off her finger.

"I thought I saw your truck at the fairground as I drove by," he remarked.

"Yeah, we went by there," Beth said. "They were still settin' up. It's the same old stuff as every other year."

"Um hm," Hershel remarked. "So, you didn't' make a special trip there to talk to the carny boys and then lie to me about it? I guess I was wrong then."

'Fine," Beth huffed. "Yes, we went there and I did lie in my note but I don't see why I have to tell you where I'm going or when I'll be home anyway. Daddy, I'm 21 years old. I'm not your little girl anymore."

"Bethy, as long as….." Hershel started to say.

"Oh, I know," Beth jumped in. "As long as I live under your roof, I live by your rules. But I won't be here much longer, Daddy. I only have one more year of college then I'm moving to Nashville. Can't you just trust me the way you trust Maggie?"

"Honey, I do trust you. It's those boys workin' the carnival that I don't trust. They certainly don't have a history of being honorable. As far as Maggie goes, your sister is quite a bit older than you," Hershel explained patiently.

"Okay, fine. I get it. I won't lie to you again, but you have to promise you're going to loosen up the reins a little, too," she told him.

"I'll think about it," Hershel replied with a grin as he finished off his pie. "Now, I'm gonna go check on the horses and then watch the rest of the Civil War documentary on PBS. Why don't you visit with Mag for a bit. She's leavin' tomorrow."

"I will, Daddy," she agreed as she kissed him on the cheek and headed for the porch.

Maggie was still sitting in the rocker leafing through her magazine. "How'd it go?" she asked as she glanced up at her baby sister.

"The same as usual, a little lecture about livin' under his roof and about not hangin' with the wrong crowd," Beth said with a roll of her eyes.

"Enjoy it while you can," Maggie told her. "You're goin' to be out on your own soon and wishin' you still had Daddy to take care of you. It gets lonely."

"Puhlease," Beth huffed. "You've got it made, your own apartment in Atlanta, a great job doing photography for Southern Living magazine, a different guy every night of the week. How on earth could you miss this dreary old place?"

"You'll see," Maggie said wistfully. "And, it's hardly a different guy every night. I've been on one date in the last month but it was a really good date," Maggie admitted with a smile.

"Oooh! Details please," Beth asked as she took a seat on the porch railing.

Maggie laid the magazine aside. "Well, his name is Glenn. He's a video game designer. He's really sweet and sort of shy. We had the best time. He's Asian and he took me to this Asian street fair in Buckhead. I really like him."

"So you going out with him again?" Beth asked.

"Yep. He called yesterday and asked me to a movie on Wednesday night," Maggie said happily.

"Well, you'll have to call and let me know how it goes," Beth told her sister.

"What about you?" Maggie asked. "You seeing anybody special?"

"No, not really," Beth said but as she answered the image of the shaggy haired carny from the top of the ferris wheel flashed into her mind.

"I know that look," Maggie said, "Who is he?"

"No one, really," Beth replied. "Just, I met someone who seems really interesting."

"You didn't meet him at that stupid carnival, did you?" Maggie asked in her strictest "big sister" voice.

"What difference does it make where I met him?" Beth replied. " I didn't ask where you met this Glen?"

"That's different and you know it," Maggie quickly told her. "Those carnies only want one thing. You've got too much goin' for you to let one of those guys mess up your life."

"Maggie, please don't try to be my mom right now. Honestly, I just need a sister to talk to, not another lecture," Beth said tiredly.

Maggie looked a bit guiltily out into the darkness . The moths were beginning to flutter around the porch lights and Beth swatted at one that got a little too close to her face.

"I..I'm sorry, Beth," Maggie finally said. "I know I'm not your mama. I just don't want anything to happen . You're so talented. Don't let some guy ruin your dreams."

"I don't plan to," Beth said, sounding rather more responsible than she felt, "but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun in the meantime." Both girls chuckled at that.

Maggie stood up and gave her sister a hug. "I forget sometimes that you're all grown up now. You'll just have to kick me in the head if I do it again," she said.

"I'll be happy to," Beth replied with a big grin.

The sisters sat on the porch just chatting about silly things like clothes and haircuts and favorite television shows for a couple of hours. Hershel finally stuck his head outside the screen door and told them it was time for bed. Beth hugged Maggie once more and whispered, "Let me know how it goes with Glenn," before they said goodnight and went upstairs to their rooms.

Beth lay wide awake for a while longer. She thought about Daryl, the way his muscles flexed as he worked on the wheel, the sleepy slant to his eyes and the gruff timbre of his voice. She wondered what it would feel like to have those rough, work hardened hands touching her. She wondered what his lips would feel like against her own. It was all silly and school girlish, like some damn romance novel, but she couldn't help it. "Ugh," she moaned into her pillow. She was going back to the carnival and would be doing her best to meet up with Daryl Dixon despite what she told her father and Maggie. She didn't want to lie to her father again but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, she thought.

The next day, Beth had classes until early afternoon. She met Ally at the cafeteria where they usually ate lunch together. Ally was already picking at a salad when Beth sat down.

"You look tired," Ally told her friend.

"I know. I sat up with Maggie until midnight and then didn't sleep well. I was hopin' to leave campus early but now we've got an emergency choir meeting at three o'clock so I guess I won't get home until nearly five," Beth said.

"Yeah, it sucks. I've got a date tonight though," Ally proudly told her.

"With that guy? From last night?" Beth asked.

"Yep, Bobby called me right after I got home. He's takin' me out to the lake," Ally told her.

"The lake? Ally, are you crazy? You don't even know this guy? Don't go out there alone with him," Beth warned her friend.

"Beth, you sound just like my mama. I don't need you to lecture me. I just want to have a good time," Ally told her a bit sharply. Beth flashed back to her talk with Maggie from the night before. She was doing exactly what she'd gotten mad at her sister for.

"Sorry, you're right Ally. I guess I get my nagging habits from my overprotective family. I'm just jealous cause I don't have plans," Beth offered apologetically.

"I could get Bobby to bring Justin along and we could double date," Ally said excitedly. "You'd like him Beth. I know he's not a rocket scientist but he's funny and not bad to look at."

"Nah, I don't think so. You have fun, though," Beth replied.

"Oh, I will," Ally said. "See you later at the meeting."

Beth watched her friend walk away. She was wearing a dress that looked two sizes too small and way too much make-up. Ally was a completely different person than the girl she'd known all through school. When they were younger, they were like two peas in a pod. They liked to dress in matching outfits and fix their hair the same way. Everyone always thought they were sisters. Sometime about four years ago, Ally started to change. Beth wasn't sure if she would have become friends with this Ally. Sometimes she thought they had nothing in common anymore except for their shared history as besties since elementary school.

After picking at a tuna sandwich for half an hour, Beth finally gave up and tossed the leftovers into the nearest trash can. She had to go to the library and research some old newspaper articles about the Voting Rights Act in Georgia for her American History class. She was buried in print outs for over an hour and then rushed to make it to the emergency choir meeting.

Mr. Rush, the director, was pacing excitedly at the front of the room as they all took their seats. "I've got some exciting news," he told them as the meeting started. Beth always found him a bit comical when he got excited. He was on the short side with a bit of a paunch. He was balding and wore large round framed spectacles. When he was excited, his eyes got big and round giving him an almost owlish appearance. She covered her mouth with her hand quickly to hide her grin.

"We've been asked to perform at the carnival on Friday night. They had the Lee College choir scheduled but their director had to cancel at the last minute because of a mono outbreak on campus so I told the owners we could fill in. The only problem is that we don't have much time to rehearse so I thought we'd go with stuff we already have prepared. What do you all think?" the director asked.

Most of the students seemed pleased. They loved any chance to perform. All Beth could think was that this could be her chance to see Daryl Dixon again.

"We could do the same numbers we did for the state choral competition except for the hymn. Don't think the carnival goers want to hear an 18th century hymn while they're out at the fair. But we could add in a number from Todd and one from Beth. I know you both have a good repertoire to choose from. Just let me know what you plan on singing," Mr. Rush told them. "Let's go ahead and do a rough rehearsal today and we can pin it down on Wednesday. "

The group assembled quickly and did scales as Mr. Rush conducted. Then he sat down at the piano and began playing the first jazzy swing number. Beth gave herself over to the joy of the songs as the group ran through them. Singing was her joy and her escape. She loved it. She hoped one day to make her living as a singer and songwriter.

As the meeting broke up, the choir members began going their separate ways. Beth was already pondering what song to choose for her solo performance. She wanted to make a good impression but not seem too eager or too flashy. She promised Mr. Rush that she'd have something nailed down by Wednesday and be ready to rehearse it.

By the time she got home, it was close to six o-clock. Her father was heading out in his Suburban when she parked. He rolled down his window and yelled to her, "I'm headin' over to Otis's house. They've got a cow that's calving and having trouble. I'll be home when I can. If you have time could you pick up my prescription at the drug store? "

Beth was fairly exhausted but she knew how tired her daddy always was after assisting at a calving. She agreed to run his errand and told him to be careful. She went inside and poured a glass of sweet tea and got the last slice of lemon meringue pie. As she savored the cool, slightly tart lemon filling, she let her mind wander through a list of songs that she might want to perform.

"Lilac Wine" was one of her favorites but it might come off as a little too sultry. Maybe a country song would be better like Lady Antebellum's "I Need you Now" or a Carrie Underwood song. Nothing that she considered seemed right. As she finished up the pie, she decided to go on out to the drug store and pick up her dad's medicine so that she could have the evening free to go through her sheet music.

The tiny drug store at the crossroads was mostly empty when she arrived. "Hey Beth," the pharmacist called from behind the counter as she walked up.

"Hey, Mr. Turner," she said.

"I got your daddy's medicine ready. Be right with you," he told her as he finished up an order. Beth had known the Turners all her life. They lived in a little house just down the road from the Greene's farm and went to the same church where Beth had been baptized and gone to Sunday school. Mr. Turner was a tall thin man with bushy gray hair. He had become stooped over the years of tending to his customers from behind the pharmacy counter and that stoop had gotten worse over the last year since his wife passed away. He came from behind the counter carrying a small white bag and rang up the purchase for her.

"How are things at the farm, young lady?" he asked as she counted out the money for the purchase.

"Oh, fine, you know how Daddy is. He keeps it running like a top," she said cheerfully.

"Tell him I said hello, will you?" he said.

"I will and you take care Mr. Turner," she said as she turned to go. As she approached the front of the store, she heard a bit of a ruckus from across the street at the convenience store. She stopped inside and watched as an obviously drunk guy made a fool of himself standing outside his truck and yelling at the store.

"I'm a damned veteran, I'll have you know," the man said. "You cain't treat me like this. If my little brother wasn't such a pussy, he'd stand up for hisself and for me but Darlina over here ain't got the balls to show you what Dixons are made of."

Beth flinched. It was the same man who'd been yelling at the carnival. As he screeched, she saw Daryl open the car door and begin trying to muscle him around and into the passenger seat. Her heart broke at the sight. Daryl was obviously mortified but also apparently used to dealing with the drunken sideshow that was his brother.

Mr. Turner had come out from behind the counter and was now standing next to her. "Those people with that carnival are always causing problems when they come to town," he said disapprovingly. "They're just not our kind of folks." Beth suddenly realized how Daryl must feel when dealing with the people in the towns that they visited with the fair. He was never good enough in their eyes and then he had his brother to deal with on top of it all.

A state trooper pulled up next to the pickup and a very large uniformed officer stepped out of the car. Beth could hear him asking if there was a problem. Daryl was doing his best to stay calm and handle the situation but it was taking everything he had to keep his brother in the truck and shut him up. The officer said a few words to Daryl and then stepped back. Daryl nodded and walked back around to the driver's side of the truck. The look on his face as he slid behind the wheel was one of the saddest things Beth had ever seen. "He's lonely," she suddenly realized. "He is so lonely."

"What did you say, Beth?" Mr. Turner asked.

"Oh, nothing, just it must be lonely living the way they do," she replied.

"I guess but it's no excuse for behavior like that," the old pharmacist told her.

"Well, guess I better get back home Mr. Turner. See you later," Beth told him as she walked out to her truck. That look on Daryl's face would haunt her, but it was that though that made her realize what song she wanted to do for her solo.


	3. Chapter 3

Beth spent the evening reviewing the song that she'd decided on. She wanted to be ready to rehearse it on Wednesday when the choir met again. Around nine o'clock, her Daddy came home. He was covered in mud and muck but she was used to it. A veterinarian's daughter grew up watching baby animals get delivered. Shortly after she heard him shower and go to bed, she turned in herself.

She had to be at work early the next morning. Her part time job at the Burger Barn helped pay for her school expenses and honestly she liked the little bit of independence it offered. Her only class on Tuesday was a late afternoon American History course so she usually worked breakfast and lunch shift.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and dressed in her uniform, a rather dowdy red skirt with a red and white checked blouse and a red neckerchief with 'Burger Barn' emblazoned across the front of it. After quickly brushing her teeth and applying a dab of mascara and lipstick, she pinned on her nametag. It read "Howdy Y'all, My Name is" and someone had written in BETH with a black sharpie. It was so cheesy but the Burger Barn had been good to her. She'd been working there since she was sixteen. They always worked around her school schedules. Maggie worked there during high school and college as well so it was kind of a family tradition.

On the way in to work, she stopped at the gas station to put ten dollars' worth of gas in the truck. She stood humming to herself as the gas pump clicked along. Another vehicle pulled in on the other side of the pumps. She heard a door open but was too focused on the song in her head to really pay attention. Suddenly ,she heard someone behind her, "Beth Greene, right?"

She turned to see Daryl Dixon standing behind her holding the nozzle for the diesel pump in his hand. "Yeah and you're Daryl," she said suddenly feeling totally awkward. "Small world, huh?"

"Small town, anyways," Daryl said.

"Yeah, course," Beth stammered. "What's has you up so early?"

"Getting diesel for the gennies," he said. "Looks like you're headed to work."

Beth looked down at her uniform and blushed as scarlet as her skirt. "Yeah, lame I know," she told him.

"Nah, it's kinda cute actually," he said. She looked up and he was sort of giving her the once over but when he realized he'd been caught, he quickly turned back to filling the fuel cans in the back of his truck. "So's the food any good at the Burger Barn?" he asked.

"Well, it's homestyle Southern cookin' so it's not fancy but we don't have any complaints. Most folks in town eat there at least a couple times a week so it must be good," she told him.

"Maybe I should come by and try it out one day. What's your schedule?" Daryl asked looking shyly up at her again.

Beth felt her heart give a little flutter. Damn it, she thought, why do I act like a stupid kid around this guy? "I'll be there today at lunch and then again on Thursday morning," Beth said.

"I don't have any plans for lunch. Maybe I'll drop by and try some of that fine home cookin'," Daryl said. "What time are you off work?"

"Today? I, ah, get off at two o'clock," Beth said. She knew she should say 'and then I have a class' but she didn't want to stop him in case he was about to ask something else.

"You, ah, I don't know, you want to go get an ice cream or somethin' after?" he asked, never once making eye contact with her as he spoke.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds good," she quickly replied. American History could take a flying leap today.

"Okay, should I pick you up or…?" Daryl asked.

"Um, yeah, that would be perfect," she agreed.

Daryl finished filling his fuel containers and Beth had long since finished pumping her measly ten dollars of gas. She looked at her watch and realized she had to rush. "I'll see you later then," she said as she climbed behind the wheel of her pickup.

"See ya," he said as he watched her drive away.

Her mind was racing. She didn't have any extra clothes at work and the gym bag she kept in the truck only contained wrinkled work out gear. She quickly dialed Ally's number.

Ally answered, still obviously half way asleep, "Hello? Beth why are you calling me so early? I don't have class till eleven today."

"Listen, sorry to wake you but I need you to bring me some clothes to work. Nothing slutty, no offense , but just some shorts and a t-shirt, sort of semi-nice. I just got asked out after work and I need some clothes. If I go all the way back home I'll be super late for my shift. Will you do it? Please Ally," she begged her friend.

"Of course," Ally said, "And I'll try not to take offense at the slutty comment. How about the navy shorts and the shirt with all the little birds? Would that work?"

"That sounds perfect," Beth quickly agreed, " oh, and…"

"And you'll need the sandals that I wear with it. I gotcha girl. Good thing we have the same size feet," Ally laughed. "So who's the hot date?"

Beth was relieved that Ally knew exactly what she needed. They might be different in some ways but they'd always have each other's back. "He's, ah, from out of town. You don't know him," Beth answered.

"He's the guy from the ferris wheel, right? The hunky carnival guy?" Ally asked slyly.

"Just please bring the clothes. I'll fill you in later. I'm pulling into the parking lot and I'm already a few minutes late. Promise?" Beth asked again.

"Don't worry. I'll come by on the way to class, but you have to tell me everything later," Ally told her.

"Okay, okay, gotta go," Beth said before ending the call and dashing in to the restaurant.

Emilio was on the grill this morning. He grinned and waved at Beth as he flipped several golden pancakes on the griddle. Joellen, the owner's wife, was waiting as Beth clocked in and grabbed an apron. She tapped on her watch to indicate Beth's tardiness.

"I know, Jo, I'm sorry. I had to stop and get gas. My truck was runnin' on fumes," Beth explained.

Joellen patted Beth's shoulder. "No harm done," she said. "Just get out there and start fillin' coffee cups." Beth grabbed her pad and the beaker of hot coffee and started making her way from table to table. Jody and Lea were already busy in their sections. She nodded and smiled in greeting to them as they all continued to work.

The morning rush began to slow and the crew started doing some cleaning and restocking. Their lunchtime regulars would start coming in around eleven so they didn't have a lot of time. Beth stayed busy which helped keep her from getting too nervous.

She just kept thinking about Daryl Dixon. What was it about him that so fascinated her? He had a sort of rugged handsomeness but it wasn't that obvious heartthrob kind of good looks. He wasn't a smooth talker. In fact, he actually seemed more nervous than she was when they did manage to speak. It was something about the way that he looked at her. She'd only caught his eyes once or twice but in those seconds, there was a connection between them, like an electrical spark. Beth Greene had never experienced anything quite like it. Was this infatuation? Lust? She wasn't sure but it felt really good whatever it was.

Right on time, Ally stopped by with the clothes she promised. They were neatly folded and sitting on top of the sandals. Beth took a quick break and walked to the break room with Ally to put them away.

"So, tell me, it's the guy? From the carnival? I'm right. I know it," Ally said in a rather excited tone.

"Yes, it's him, okay? We're just going out for an ice cream after I get off work. That's it. It's no big deal," Beth admitted.

"So why did you need a semi-nice but not slutty outfit to impress him with if it's no big deal?" Ally asked.

"I can't go out in my uniform!" Beth exclaimed.

"But you have those yoga pants and a t-shirt in your car. You could wear that, unless maybe you're trying to impress someone," Ally teased.

"Fine, alright. Yes, I want to look nice. Can we just drop this now?" Beth admitted.

"Oh, come on. I'm just pickin' at you. I think it's nice that you're going out even if it's just for an ice cream. You haven't been into a guy in quite a while. I'm happy for you," Ally said, throwing an arm around Beth's shoulder. "And, hey, I put a little something extra in the pocket of the shorts just in case."

Beth tucked her fingers into the pocket of the shorts that lay in the bag. She felt the tiny cool square that could only be one thing. "A condom?" she whispered. "Really, Ally?"

"A girl's got to be prepared, Beth. Doesn't mean you have to use it. Just don't want to be caught without one if you need it," she told her friend.

"God, you sound like that sex ed teacher from senior year," Beth quipped. "Now, will you get out of here so I can get back to work?"

"As you wish," Ally said with a silly bow. "Call me later."

As Ally headed back toward the front door, Beth called out, "Hey, thank you."

"Anytime, sister," Ally told her with a wink as she traipsed out the front door.

The lunch crowd began to trickle in. The day's special was turkey and dressing which always brought out the older folks. By one o'clock, Beth started getting antsy. She kept checking the parking lot as she passed the front windows to see if she could recognize Daryl's truck.

Finally at 1:45 she delivered her last plates of food and went back to the break room to grab Ally's clothes and change. She quickly brushed her hair back into a ponytail. No matter how tight she tried to make it, there were always little curly pieces that escaped the elastic and sprung out around her face. She took off the uniform and spritzed herself with a travel size perfume that she kept in her purse. The shorts and shirt fit perfectly and looked exactly right with the sandals. A quick reapplication of lip gloss and she felt ready for anything.

She waved cheerfully to Joellen and the second shift of people coming in to work as she walked out into the parking lot. She looked around outside and at first didn't see Daryl anywhere. Then she heard him.

"Hey, Beth, over here," he said as he waved to her from the last spot in the lot.

She walked towards him. He looked really nice. It was the first time she'd seen him all cleaned up. He had on jeans and boots with a Harley Davidson t-shirt and a leather vest. As he turned to open the truck door for her, she saw a pair of wings sewn onto the back of the vest.

He offered a hand and she took it although she really needed no help getting up into her seat. She just wanted to feel his hand again. As she brushed past him, she caught a faint whiff of some kind of cologne. It had an outdoorsy fresh clean scent that suited him perfectly. She smiled at him as he closed the truck door.

He climbed in the driver's side and cranked the truck up. "Where would you like to go?" he asked.

"The Dairi Dip has good ice cream," she told him.

"Cool, let's go then," he told her.

The radio was playing classic country as they drove along the road. "You like Conway?" she asked as she turned the music up a little.

"Course, George Jones is the best though," he told her.

"Yeah, I like George and love Loretta Lynn," Beth agreed. "You listen to any other kinds of music?"

"Sure, all kinds," Daryl said. "I have a collection of vinyl singles, mostly punk and metal. Not a lot of that on the radio around here though."

"No, definitely not. Around here it's either country or Christian," Beth told him.

"The old time country's got a lot of heart and soul, though. It's better than the new stuff that's trying to be pop," Daryl explained.

"I hadn't thought about it but that's true. With the older stuff, you definitely know what you're getting but it's hard to tell sometimes with the new songs. I like some of the new artists, though. Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum are good. I really like the Civil Wars, too," Beth told him.

"Civil Wars? Haven't heard of them," Daryl told her.

"I'll have to loan you a CD," she said as they pulled into the Dairi Dip. It was an old fashioned drive up not drive thru ice cream shop. They parked and went to the window. Kevin Malone was working the window. He graduated a year behind Beth and, of course, had to ask about her and her family before taking their order.

"Seems like you know everybody in this town," Daryl whispered as Kevin went to make their vanilla soft serve cones.

"Well, It is a small town and I've lived here my whole life. Sometimes it feels kind of claustrophobic, ya know? I plan on movin' away next year when I graduate," Beth explained.

Kevin delivered their cones and they sat down at a picnic table in front of the shop to eat. "Where you plannin' on movin' to?" Daryl asked as they licked their cones.

"Don't laugh," Beth said. "It's so cliché. I'm moving to Nashville. I want to write music and sing. "

"You sing? I'd like to hear you sometime," he told her.

"Well, actually I forgot to tell you but our college choir is going to be performing at the fair on Friday so you'll get to hear me then," Beth told him with a big smile.

"You're part of the Central Georgia choir?" Daryl asked. "That's cool."

"I've got a solo, too," Beth bragged a bit.

"You must be good, then. What's your song?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet," she said even though she'd decided yesterday when she saw him with his brother. She didn't want to say too much about that. She didn't want him to even know she' witnessed that humiliation.

They sat in the warm sun and ate the ice cream while they talked about inconsequential things. When the cones were finished, Daryl asked if she needed to get back home.

"Not really," Beth answered. "Do you need to be back at work?"

"Not yet," Daryl said.

"You want to go for a drive," Beth asked. "There's a real pretty spot out at the lake. The Bartlett pear trees are blooming and when the wind blows it looks like it's snowin' on the water."

"M'kay, sounds nice," he said as they climbed back into the truck.

On the short drive to the lake, they listened to Hank Williams sing about being so lonesome he could die and then Loretta proclaim herself to be a Coal Miner's daughter. Beth showed Daryl where to turn and then they got out and walked a short distance.

The small grove of trees encircled an outcrop of land that jutted into the lake lie a hitchhiking thumb. The trees were a froth of white blossoms and tiny budding green leaves. As the wind blew through, the white blossom petals loosened and danced in the breeze like snowflakes before settling onto the grass and water in shifting white patterns.

Beth walked into the middle of it and sat down on a log. Daryl followed and sat beside her. There was a small circle of stones where obviously a few campfires had been built.

"We used to come out here a lot back when my Mama was alive. Daddy loved to fish out there off those rocks. Maggie and me would pretend to fish for a while but mostly we sat with my mom and made clover chains or played hide and seek," Beth told him. "We'd stay until after dark and make s'mores over the fire. Daddy always told the same silly ghost stories and we'd squeal at the scary parts."

"I'm sorry 'bout your Mom," Daryl said. "What happened?"

"Cancer. She tried chemo but they found it too late. It's been almost five years now," Beth told him sadly.

"My mom's gone too. She died when I was ten," Daryl said.

Beth put her hand on his arm, "I'm so sorry." Daryl surprised her by taking her hand in his. She looked up and his eyes locked with hers. That strange sensation began fluttering in her chest again. Her breath caught in her throat. He leaned toward her slowly until his lips brushed hers. She closed her eyes. For a moment, she was sure her heart stopped beating. As he pulled away she gasped for air like she'd been underwater for too long.

Daryl looked down and bent forward reaching for something on the ground. "Hey you dropped this," he said as he picked up a small square from the grass at Beth's feet.

"Oh, God," Beth exclaimed in total humiliation as he handed her the condom that Ally so thoughtfully left behind. "Shit," she said as she stood up and ran over towards the water's edge. Daryl followed her.

"What? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Look, I don't want you to think that I….that the condom…I wasn't planning on seducing you or anything. It was a joke. My friend left it in the pocket. I, oh God, this is so embarrassing. I'm sorry," Beth told him as she faced the water leaving her back toward him. She was going to kill Ally for this.

"It ain't a big deal," he said quietly. "Really. Just turn around and look at me."

Beth wiped at her eyes and then turned to face him. She was sure he must think she was a total idiot at this point.

"I like you, Beth," he said. "I think you're cute and smart. I like talkin' to you."

Beth smiled a little as she wiped at her eyes again. "I like talkin' to you, too," she said. "I'm sorry I overreacted. It just..I don't want you to think…."

"No, I get it. But I guess I should say now that even though I do like you, this can't really go anywhere between us. You know that, right?" he asked.

Beth felt her stomach drop. "What…what are you talking about?"

"I mean I'm in town for a little less than two weeks. I'm nearly fifteen years older than you. You're headed to college graduation and followin' a dream to Nashville. I'm headed to Jacksonville for the next show and then to Birmingham after that. Along the way, I'm tryin' to keep my brother halfway sober and my employees paid. I'm pretty sure your family wouldn't approve of me at all and honestly I don't want to get in your way," Daryl told her honestly.

Beth realized that he felt like he wasn't good enough, not only for her but even to feel something like what they were feeling. "Daryl, why don't you let me worry about stayin' on track? I know you're leavin' in a few days. It may be next year before I see you again or maybe our paths won't even cross then. I know all the reasons that I shouldn't want to be with you, but I do. I don't care if it's just a few days. I want to spend time with you. I want to get to know you. I promise I won't get all possessive and clingy or drop out of school and try to follow you when you go. Can we just take this a day at a time for now and let the future take care of itself?"

Daryl didn't say anything for a minute or two. He stood staring at the ground. Beth was sure she'd just made a fool of herself and he was trying to think of a way to tell her to go home and leave him alone.

He finally looked up. "There's stuff you don't know," he told her. "My brother."

"I know he's a drunk and from what I hear a bit of an asshole but I don't care," Beth said.

Daryl's eyes darkened a bit. "You're right. He is that. See, he's all I got left. He's my blood. He's always liked his booze but not like he does now. He was in prison on assault charges for a coupla years and since he got out, he's been different. He won't say what happened to him in there but he ain't been completely sober in over a year. I have to take care of him and that means puttin' up with a lot of shit. People talk about him, about me. They're gonna, well they're gonna probly laugh at you if they find out you're seein' me."

Beth quickly walked toward him and threw her arms around his waist. She clung tightly to him and laid her head against his chest. "I don't care. I've never really been one to follow the crowd. Just tell me one thing. Do you feel something when we're together? When we touch or when you look at me? I don't mean like lust but something different? Is it just me? If it is, I'll leave, go home and never bother you again. I just have to know."

Daryl reached down and tilted her chin up to look at him. "Yeah," he said huskily. "Yeah, I felt it all the way at the top of the damn ferris wheel on that first night I saw you. I feel it right now. It's like a humming on my skin. I don't know what it is, Beth, but I don't want it to stop. The thing is, I'm afraid that if I don't let go now, I may never be able to."

Beth pushed herself up to her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his. Her lips parted underneath his tongue and her arms moved up to encircle his neck and pull him closer. Beth didn't know how long the kiss lasted. She felt dizzy as if she were spinning while they were touching. He finally broke their touch and stepped back. He was breathing heavily and turned away from her as he took deep breaths to calm himself. Before he turned, however, she'd seen the proof of his need for her straining against the zipper of his jeans.

"I, ah, I better get you back home," he finally said. Beth wasn't sure how to react. Was this a dismissal?

"Fine," she said. "I'll go home but only on the condition that you meet me tomorrow afternoon. If you really don't want to see me again, tell me now, or else promise me that we'll see each other again even if it's just for the next ten days. "

"We shouldn't, Beth. We should just walk away now," he told her.

"I didn't ask what we SHOULD do? I asked what do you want to do? Do you want to see me again?" she asked him.

He shook his head and stared at the ground for a moment then he turned to her. He was biting his bottom lip as he nodded. "I want to, you know I do," he said.

"Fine, so meet me tomorrow. Where do you want to meet? Should I come to the carnival? " Beth asked.

"No, don't go there. I'll meet you here. What time?" Daryl asked.

"My classes are over at one o'clock. I can be here by one thirty," she told him.

"Okay, that'll work," he said with a smile. "Now, let's get you home. I gotta get busy. The carnival opens in an hour."

Beth was so happy. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Daryl gently pulled her arms away.

"Let's not get that started again. A man can only take so much," he told her. She blushed a little but she backed off. They walked hand in hand back to the truck and he drove her back to the restaurant to pick up her truck.

As Beth drove home, she remembered that she was supposed to have choir rehearsal tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock. She would just worry about that later. Right now all she wanted to do was remember that kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

After leaving Beth at the restaurant, Daryl reluctantly drove back toward the fairgrounds. He knew Merle would be trashed by now and ready to start trouble at the slightest provocation. It made him tired just thinking about it.

Daryl had hope for Merle changing his ways after he got out of prison. When he visited his older brother at the state pen, Merle was looking forward to getting out. He seemed excited about the prospect of getting involved with this carnival work and building something for the future. That positive outlook lasted about three months once he was outside the bars.

He started having a beer after work and on the weekend then one turned into a couple. His happy hour just kept getting longer and longer. Pretty soon, Merle was drinking from the time he woke up until he passed out. Daryl tried everything. He hid the liquor or pills but Merle always found them. He talked until he was worn out. He tried suggesting AA meetings which Merle found hilarious.

By the time they'd been working the carnival for 6 months, Daryl was running it by himself as well as trying to keep Merle from ending up back in a jail cell. He hated it. He never wanted to do this kind of work but he agreed to it for Merle's sake. His plan was to help Merle get it started and then leave and find work building custom motorcycles or just working in a repair shop. It didn't look like that was even a remote possibility anymore.

Even as discouraged as he'd become, he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he remembered that kiss with Beth. She was like something out of a dream. She was pretty, but that wasn't what set her apart. There were a lot of pretty small town girls that came and went. Beth was something special. She was smart and funny and she cared so much for other people. The fact that she was only 21 concerned him. Somehow when he was with her, it didn't matter at all but looking at it from a distance he could see the problems that would arise.

He pulled into the camper lot at the fairground and parked the truck. Merle was sitting on his lounge chair nursing a beer. At least ten empty cans were stacked next to him.

"Hey Darlina," Merle said as Daryl walked up. "I was wondering where you got off to. It's almost show time and I'm outta beer again. I had a little visit from the Candyman earlier(that's how Merle referred to his dealers) and I need a little booze to smooth it all out."

"I cain't take you till later, Merle," Daryl told him. "I got to check on a few things before we open. Give me an hour or so."

"The hell you say, boy? I ain't sitting on my thumb for an hour. You need to take me now. If you don't, I can drive myself. I know you don't exactly like for me to touch your piece of shit truck but I will if I have to," Merle threatened.

"I don't care what you do Merle except I been tryin' to keep you from getting' your ass arrested again," Daryl said angrily. "Go ahead, though, drive yourself. I don't give a shit anymore. I'm tired of carryin' you everywhere, runnin' this whole place by myself. Do you think this is what I want to for the rest of my life?"

Merle's jaw tightened and his face turned scarlet. "Boy I used to wipe your ass for you when you were just a snot nosed rug rat. I ain't takin' none of your lip. I been through a lot of shit that you don't know nothin' about. If I want a drink ever once in a while, it ain't nobody else's goddamn business," Merle yelled as he stood up and advanced on Daryl.

"You're a drunk and an asshole but you ain't my daddy, Merle, and you ain't gonna tell me what to do. You think the world owes you somethin' cause you had a lousy childhood. I was in that house for ten fuckin' years after you left. You think that was all rainbows and sunshine? You went to jail cause you're a simple minded piece of shit. You don't get to lay that at nobody else's feet," Daryl told him. By the time he finished talking he was shaking and out of breath. "Now, I'm goin' to work. Figure out how to get your own damn booze, " Daryl mumbled as he walked off.

Merle was shocked. He was used to Daryl grumbling a little maybe but he usually did whatever his big brother wanted. "What's got you so fired up today boy?" Merle yelled after his brother. "You get some last night or maybe this afternoon, huh? Is that it? Got a little nookie and now you think you're a man? Well, if she laid down for you son she cain't be much. Any piece of tail worth doin' usually runs the other way when they get a look at your skinny ass." He was laughing as he spoke.

Daryl stopped in his tracks and turned around. He walked quickly back toward Merle and without missing a beat punched him squarely in the face. Merle fell back and landed half on his lounge chair. He was so shocked that he couldn't even speak for a minute.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Merle whined.

"Don't talk shit like that to me again," Daryl warned. "I don't care how drunk or high you are. You keep your comments about me and my life to yourself."

"Okay, okay. I was just jokin'. Come on now brother, cain't you take a joke no more?" Merle asked.

"No, I cain't. I'm fuckin' tired of jokes and lies and all the shit I put up with from you," Daryl told him. "Now I'm goin' to work. You got anything else you want to say to me?"

"Get out o' here, then," Merle whined. "Go on. I don't need nothin' from you."

"Good," was all Daryl said as he turned and walked out toward the main drag.

Daryl felt a little guilty for hitting his brother. He'd never done that before, but his comments about 'a piece of tail' just hit Daryl the wrong way. He didn't want anything to tarnish the memory of the afternoon he shared with Beth.

He walked toward the wheel to check the set up. The young redneck Bobby something or other was working it tonight. As he walked up, Daryl could hear Bobby on his cellphone with someone.

"Yeah, man. She asked me to drive her out to the lake and we got down right in the backseat of her car. She brought her own rubbers, dude. The chicks in this town are freaky. Oh, and she's got this little blonde friend that's kinda shy but I bet she'd let you in those Levis with a little sweet talk. You know what I'm sayin'?" Bobby was talking to his friend, not noticing that his boss had just walked up. "She was talking to the boss man the other night. You remember her? I don't know if she's bangin' him. She won't be with him long though. He's a total pussy, lets his older brother treat him like shit all the time. She don't look like the type to go for that. She's gon' need a man between those thighs, son."

Daryl grabbed the boy's shoulder and jerked him around. Bobby paled several shades and quickly ended his call.

"You talkin' shit about me?" Daryl asked angrily.

"Nah, man. It ain't like that. Just talkin' 'bout the ladies, you know?" Bobby stammered.

"I tell you what, MAN," Daryl said. "We don't need you on this carnival anymore. You can pick up your last paycheck on Friday but as of right now, you're off the clock permanently."

"That's cool," Bobby bluffed in an effort to save face. The other workers at the nearby rides had started to watch what was going on. "This place is a dump anyway. I can make more money flippin' burgers at the Krystal."

Daryl rolled his eyes and cross his arms. The kid was working up the courage to act badass.

" And just so you know, I WAS talkin' about you. Everybody knows how your drunk ass brother has you steppin' and fetchin' like his personal slave. You need to grow a pair bro, " Bobby bluffed just before he spat a long brown stream of tobacco juice toward Daryl's feet.

Daryl actually pulled his fist back and the kid flinched. It would be so easy to just punch him in the face, maybe break his nose or at the very least leave him with a shiner to have to explain. Instead, Daryl took a deep breath and dropped his fist back to his side. "Get off this property NOW. If I see you again, I can promise you that I will make you regret it," he advised loudly then watched as the teenager made a hasty retreat toward the parking lot..

Daryl knew the little prick would shoot his mouth off to look tough and cool for his friends. It didn't matter what they said, though, or what they thought of the Dixon brothers. Daryl heard it all before. All he could do was keep working, keep trying. Maybe one day, things would turn around. He just hoped he wouldn't be too old to care if it ever did.

Firing Bobby meant Daryl was stuck working the wheel all night. As a carnival worker, he became fairly invisible to the people he let on and off the ride. Because they didn't notice him, he got to listen to their gossip and hear their snarky comments. Guys always seemed to be talking about sex, who was giving it up and who they'd gotten it from. Girls, on the other hand, were usually talking about other girls, who was being slutty or who was frigid. Her heard one girl say something about a friend of hers "slumming it" with a redneck dude who worked at the fair. It felt like a slap to his face. Were they talking about him and Beth? No one knew about them, at least as far as he was aware. Even if their conversation was about someone else, it fit the situation exactly.

Beth was too good for him. He knew it the first time he saw her. She liked him but he was sure it was just an infatuation with the whole bad boy persona that people expected carnies to have. Even as he thought that, however, he knew it wasn't true. Beth wasn't like that. Still, though, if people knew they were seeing each other, what would they say? It wouldn't be good.

On top of that Beth was at a point in her life where everything was on the brink of taking off. She was about to graduate from college. She had plans to go to Nashville. He hadn't heard her sing but she must be talented if she was performing a solo with the choir. He had no right to get in her way and keep her from doing all the things she dreamed of. And there was no way that his messy life could do anything but get in her way.

He liked her, a lot . He felt different with her. She really listened to him. His life didn't suck when she was around. And God, she was hot. That kiss had nearly done him in. He was absolutely ragingly hard when he finally broke away from her. He wished he could have just laid her down on the grass right then and there and made her feel what he was feeling. He could imagine her tight little body moving beneath him. He realized his thoughts were about to cause some physical problems to arise so he quickly focused on the rather large couple that sat eating turkey legs at the picnic table next to the ferris wheel. It worked as well as a cold shower.

Beth wanted to see him tomorrow. He knew he shouldn't go. The best thing would be just forget about her before things got out of hand, but he needed to see her again. Besides, if he didn't go she'd show up at the carnival to find out why and he didn't want to have everyone knowing their business. Truly, though, he just wanted to see again even if it was for the last time.

Tomorrow had to be the end, though. No matter what, he had to break things off with Beth. If he didn't, she was going to get hurt or maybe get tired of him. He didn't want that to happen so it was up to him to put a stop to this.

The big wheel came slowly to halt again and he watched as another starry eyed couple walked away hand in hand. He wondered if any of them realized how good they had it. The worst thing that a lot of them ever faced was getting grounded by mommy and daddy. When he was their age, getting knocked to the ground wasn't unusual.

Beth was like them. She wasn't shallow or superficial like most of these kids but she had the same kind of life they did. She had her daddy who watched out for her and an older sister who was successful and caring. Her childhood probably mirrored the sitcoms that he and Merle used to watch while their parents lay passed out from a night of drinking. How could she understand the bond he had with his brother, the reason that he felt he owed Merle?

Merle took the beatings meant for him until he couldn't stand any more. Up until Daryl was about six, the worst he got from his old man was an open hand across the mouth. Merle would step in if their father started getting rough with his younger son. Daryl could remember many nights that Merle suffered black eyes or split lips that should have been his. After Merle left home, Daryl had to take his own beatings but at least by that time he was old enough to survive them. Merle taught him to be tough and it saved his life more than once. How could you turn your back on someone who'd done that?

When the fair shut down for the night, he headed for the trailer figuring Merle would be passed out as usual. When he walked in, the trailer was empty. Merle wasn't around. Daryl started to go out and look for him but instead he just collapsed into the bed. If Merle got arrested, the cops would come by or call. If he was shacked up with some woman, he'd be home in the morning. If he split and left Daryl with this mess, then fuck him. Whatever his brother was doing, Daryl just didn't have the energy to care.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day as soon as Beth finished her classes, she ran out to her truck. She made a point of bypassing the cafeteria where Ally was undoubtedly waiting for her to give the 411 on her date with Daryl. She felt bad for not letting Ally know where she was going but she honestly didn't know how to explain this to anyone, not even Ally. It wasn't casual dating but it couldn't possibly be serious, she had only known Daryl for a few days. She was confused and off balance about the whole thing but at the same time it felt like exactly what she was supposed to be doing.

Beth was thrilled to pull up and see Daryl's truck already waiting for her. She jumped out and ran over to hug him.

"Hey, how long have you been here?" she asked.

"Just a few minutes," he told her.

"Come on," she told him. "I packed us a picnic last night."

"Beth, I can't stay," he said quickly.

"What? Course you can. You promised," she told him plaintively.

"I know but this ain't right. It's not the time. You need to finish school. I gotta straighten out the mess with Merle and the carnival. I can't stay," he said.

"No. Look, I packed lunch. Let's just sit down and eat and talk about this. I know you're leavin' at the end of next week. I don't expect anything . I just want to spend a little time with you," she told him.

"I can't. Believe me I want to. I wish I could just stay right here with you forever but that ain't reality. We're too different, Beth. You got your life ahead of you and you don't need to mess that up," he told her.

"You sound like my Daddy right now. Is that what you're tryin' to do? Are you tryin' to be the older and wiser man here? It doesn't feel that way when you touch me, Daryl. It doesn't feel that way when you kiss me. It feels like this is right, that it's something we shouldn't throw away," she explained as tears threatened.

"I don't ….look, I just can't be with you, not for a week or even for just today. It's got to stop now before things get more complicated," he told her.

"Complicated? What does that mean?" Beth asked.

"If we got … more involved, it would only make it more difficult to end it," he told her.

"More involved? You mean like physically? Sexually? Like this?" Beth ran over and grabbed him and pushed her lips against his. She wasn't going to let him walk away. She ground her hips against him as he attempted feebly to push her away.

"Beth," he tried to say but she wouldn't allow it. She was going to show him what he was throwing away, what they could have together. It was desperate and pathetic but she didn't care because she had to stop him from walking away.

She pushed her hand underneath his t-shirt and let her fingers play along the muscles of his chest as she let her mouth wander down his neck, teasing with lips and tongue. She heard him inhale sharply as she nipped at his shoulder.

"Is this what you mean?" she whispered breathlessly. "Is this getting too complicated for you?"

"God, Beth, you don't know what you're doin'," he pleaded as her hand began to explore below his belt.

She looked up at him with wide blue eyes and smiled. "Are you sure about that?" she asked mischievously.

Daryl was trying hard to resist her but failing miserably. It had been a long time since he was with a woman and this particular one did things to him that he'd never felt before. Her lips kept traveling lower and then he felt her hands unbuckling his belt. He was lost. He grabbed her head and pulled her up so that she was face to face with him. He kissed her hard and deep.

"If we're gonna do this, then we're gonna do it right," he whispered hoarsely as he buried his face into the side of her neck. Beth shivered against him. He reached into the bed of the pickup, pulled out a shabby old quilt and tucked it under one arm. Then he took Beth's hand and pulled her towards the thickest part of the grove where he spread it out beneath the snowing trees.

He put his hands at her waist and his thumbs began to trace circles under her t-shirt. She felt weak from just that tiny bit of skin to skin contact. He leaned down and began to claim her mouth but didn't stop there. His lips traveled around to her ear and then slowly down her neck. As he reached the v-neck of her shirt he sucked softly against the swell of her breast exposed there. She almost fell to her knees but he held her. The fingers at her waist began to rise and pull the thin material of her shirt up until it slid easily over her head.

Beth stood there in her jean shorts and a lacey peach colored bra. She felt so exposed and vulnerable but also perfectly unafraid. She could see in his eyes that she hadn't changed his mind. He was going to leave. She knew it. There was no way to stop him, but she could have this. They could have this even if they never had anything else.

She finished unbuckling his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, watching as he let them drop to the grass. His desire was very evident as he pulled her closer. She unbuttoned her shorts and let them drop as well. Wherever her skin touched his, she felt a tingling, like a spark or electric current. It was the most magical feeling, like being in a space separate from the rest of the world while still being present in it.

They slowly moved down to the quilt lying face to face, exploring each other, discovering each other. Daryl did everything slowly. She realized after a while that he must think she was a virgin.

"I've done this before so you don't have to worry," she whispered as he moved against her.

"You ain't done it with me," he replied as he did things with his fingers that left her no doubt as to his ability to please. As they continued their foreplay, Beth reached over to her shorts and grabbed the little surprise Ally gave her the day before. She shakily handed the condom to Daryl and he grinned as he tore it open and put it to use. God Bless Ally, Beth thought quickly.

When he finally joined with her, she was so ready. Her need for him drove her to the point of begging. Still he moved slowly, entering her almost reverently. He moaned softly as he buried the last inch of himself into her softness. She was by then a nearly molten mass of desire.

As he moved inside her, the current she felt on her skin transferred to her very core. She watched his face as he fought to keep control, wanting her to find her release. She realized that she was moaning and moving in conjunction with his thrusts. She never knew this kind of feeling was possible. It was like being on fire but loving the burning. She felt the tension building between her hips and she rose to meet him faster and faster. Finally, she couldn't hold it back any longer and she let go. Her heart felt ready to burst and she couldn't breathe. It was beyond thought or words and as she looked at Daryl she knew that he was feeling the same thing.

In the moment after their mutual combustion, he fell against her. The weight of his body gave her a center again, something to pin her back to the earth. His head lay against her breast and she could feel the warmth of his exhalations on her skin. She caught her breath for a moment and then began to gently stroke his hair.

"That was…I don't even know a word to describe what that was," she whispered. She felt his mouth twitch into a smile. "And I have to say that compared to this, I have never done it before today."

"Good, that's how I wanted it to be," he told her.

"It was," she said, simply. She felt drowsy and floaty, sort of like she was in a drugged stupor. Every sense she had was sharpened. The quilt felt softer against her skin. The breeze felt more caressing. What the hell had this man done to her? Would she ever be able to move from this spot or was she somehow enchanted by what she'd just experienced?

"Beth, I never met anybody like you before. You ain't afraid o' nothing. You trust people and you believe in good even when it don't seem possible. I wish I could be like that. I wish things could be different," he mumbled softly, his lips brushing her bare flesh as he spoke.

"But you're leaving," she continued his sentence as tears formed in her eyes.

"I have to. I'm gonna go on ahead to Jacksonville on Friday. If I stay here with you, I don't know if I'll ever be able to let go," he confessed. "If it could be like this, just the two of us, maybe we could do this. But with the way things are it wouldn't work. I can't get in your way. You'd end up resenting me and I couldn't stand that," Daryl told her.

"You're wrong. I'd never resent you. I might get pissed occasionally, especially at your idiot of a brother, but I wouldn't resent you. I know I can't change your mind, though. You do what you have to do. Will you stay for the concert at least?" she asked.

"I think I need to go on. Whatever this is between us, it's like matches and gasoline. If I'm around you, even just watching you sing, I won't be able to resist," he confessed.

The tears were streaming down the sides of her face now. She didn't want to move, didn't want him to see.

"I'm gonna get up and get dressed, go back to the carnival. Let's don't ….I don't want to do a big goodbye scene, okay? Let's just let this be what we remember," he asked as he gently untangled himself from her and pulled a corner of the quilt up to cover her. She turned on her side and stared out at the shimmer of the water in the late evening sun. She didn't want to watch him walk away.

Thee shuffling of his clothes and the clink of his belt as he buckled it were the only sounds in the long shadows of the afternoon. He stood still for a moment and she knew he was watching her. "I'll tell you one thing, Beth Greene. I'll never regret a second," were his last words and then she heard his footsteps as he ran toward his truck.

"Me neither" she whispered as the tears she'd been trying to hold back suddenly burst forth. She lay on the quilt and sobbed until her head hurt and her eyes felt sore. She finally reached over and pulled her clothes to where she lay and put them all back on. Her hair was wild and tangled so she pulled it tightly back and secured it with an elastic band. She stood and looked around at the grove of trees. Another breeze was blowing through and the blossoms were shedding and falling. It was like the trees were crying along with her.

She picked up the worn old quilt and folded it carefully. She would keep it, she decided. It would be her souvenir of time spent with Daryl Dixon, a quilt and a memory.

She glanced at her watch. It was only 4:30. Only three hours had passed since she first parked her truck next to Daryl's. It felt like days ago. She still had time to make choir practice. She didn't really feel like singing but if she went home, her father would know she'd been crying. He always knew. She decided choir was the lesser of two evils and she cranked the truck and began to drive.

The choir room was a buzz of activity when she arrived. A couple of people asked her if she was okay. She knew she must look like hell so she told them that she wasn't feeling well. Mr. Rush asked if she would still be able to sing on Friday and she told him she thought she'd be able to manage it. She also told him which song she chose to perform and promised she'd bring the sheet music by tomorrow. "That song will work well with your style and range, Beth," he said, "good choice."

"Thanks," was all she could say. She couldn't tell him that the choice had nothing to do with her voice or her range. The choice was made because of a pair of sleepy green eyes that pierced her soul and a husky voice that sent chills along her spine.

Mr. Rush asked if she felt like rehearsing with the group but she realized that she couldn't sing today. She could barely even speak. What had she been thinking? She told him that she was really too ill to rehearse but she would practice at home then she grabbed her bag and ran for the door. Several people threw odd stares her way as he ran outside but she didn't care. She just wanted to be alone.

Thankfully, her father wasn't at home when she arrived. She went to the bathroom and ran a tub of water, adding some lavender scented bubble bath. While the water filled the tub, she went downstairs to the freezer and grabbed a pint of triple chocolate ice cream and a spoon and carried it back upstairs with her. She kicked her clothes aside and then dunked her body into the fragrant steamy water. The bubbles covered her body up to the neck.

She sat there watching the bubbles disintegrate and licking the frozen chocolate concoction from the spoon feeling sad and empty. Why had she been so willing to just fall into Daryl's arms? It wasn't very Bethlike at all. Then she remembered his last words, "I'll never regret a second," and she knew that she wouldn't either. It would hurt. She'd feel the loss of him but she wouldn't regret what happened today. It might be the one impulsive decision she'd ever made but it was also the best. Now she knew what it felt like to be cherished, to have her body worshipped and have every inch of her skin brought to life. How could you regret something like that? Maybe what they shared couldn't be called love after only knowing each other for a few days, but it felt like so much more than just sex.

Her cell phone was lying on the chair next to the tub and when it buzzed she reached for it. It was Maggie. She wasn't sure whether to answer it but after a few rings she accepted the call.

"Hey," Maggie said cheerfully. "How's it going?"

"It's ….good, I guess. We're fine. How are you?" Beth asked.

"You sound different, Beth. Is something wrong?" her sister asked.

"No, just tired I guess. I'm soaking in a bubble bath right now," she said.

"And eating chocolate ice cream?" Maggie asked knowingly. Maggie knew her too well.

"No," Beth said barely stifling a sob.

"Beth, what happened? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone," Maggie said gently.

"I wasn't. I mean it wasn't for long. I just…oh, I don't know. I'm just sad," Beth admitted tearfully.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. You want to come visit me in Atlanta this weekend? You could meet Glen," Maggie said hopefully.

"I don't know. I have a concert with the choir on Friday but maybe on Saturday I could drive up," she agreed, feeling a bit better for having the plan.

"Good. We'll take you out somewhere," Maggie promised.

"We? So things with Glen are good?" Beth asked.

"Umhum, the best," Maggie admitted.

Beth couldn't help but smile. She hadn't heard her sister so happy and excited since she got the job in Atlanta. "Well I can't wait to meet him," she said before they ended their call.

Thursday was another half day at Burger Barn and then a late afternoon class. Beth also stopped by the practice room and ran through her song with Mr. Rush before returning home for the night. Hershel was watching an old World War I movie on cable and she joined him on the couch for a bit.

"You seem a little sad, sweet pea," he said as they sat side by side. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I am, a bit, I guess," she admitted.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he questioned.

"No, I'll be fine," she promised. He kissed the top of her head and put his arm around her shoulder.

"I wish I could still make everything better with a hug and kiss like when you were little," he told her, "but things aren't that simple anymore, are they?"

"No, Daddy,but sometimes I wish they were," she told him as she wiped away a stray tear.

"What time are you singin' tomorrow night? I'm gonna come and watch," he told her as he bumped her lightly on the shoulder. "You need a good heckler in the crowd to keep you on your toes."

Beth smiled. "It's at 7:00 but you don't have to come. It's the same program as the state choral competition," she told him.

"I know I don't have to. I want to. I'm a proud papa," he assured her.

"Okay but I've only rehearsed once so I can't promise perfection," she told him.

"You don't have to. You're always perfect to me," he said.

"You're laying it on thick tonight," she replied elbowing him gently.

"Well, you need some cheering up," he told her.

"Thanks, Daddy. I think I'm going to take a bubble bath. Good night," she told him.

"I bought some more triple chocolate ice cream today. It's in the freezer in case you're interested," he offered as she left the room. She had to wipe away more tears. Her family knew her all too well and she loved them dearly for it.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday morning was gray and cloudy. The weather forecaster was predicting rain and thunderstorms by the time of the concert. The day fit her mood exactly. She got dressed and skipped breakfast so she could make it on time to her morning class.

By noon, the rain had begun. It wasn't a downpour but it was steady. She found herself staring out at the dreary scene and thinking about Daryl. She wondered if he already left for Jacksonville. He probably had. He said he wanted to leave before the concert. Everything felt empty when she thought of him being gone. One person that she'd only known for a couple of days had become the center of her thoughts and plans so quickly. Nothing felt right anymore. None of this was how she normally acted. How could her heart be broken over a guy she barely knew?

Ally knew something was wrong. Beth felt bad for keeping the whole thing with Daryl a secret but she just couldn't talk to Ally about it. She'd never understand. Guys were disposable as far as Ally was concerned. She had her fun with them but didn't get serious. She said she'd always have time for the serious stuff later. Beth sometimes wished she could be that way, but the afternoon under the trees with Daryl was special precisely because it wasn't just a good time. They had a connection that went deeper than just an acquaintance of a few days. Something about them connected in a way that Beth had never experienced before.

The gray afternoon began getting even darker and the rain fell heavier. The stage at the fairgrounds was covered but the seating wasn't. Mr. Rush was worried that no one would show up but the choir was still scheduled to perform. At 6:30 the majority of their group was on stage and getting ready to sing. The weather had turned colder with the rain. Everyone was wearing sweaters and jackets despite the fact that they'd all been in shorts and flip flops less than 24 hours ago.

The people who assembled to watch them were parents and grandparents for the most part. A few of the choir members had boyfriends or girlfriends in attendance. The audience all stood huddled under umbrellas as the music began.

The choir performed several upbeat numbers and then Todd had his solo, a cover of Blackbird. The choir followed with a Beatles medley. When it was time for Beth's solo, she stepped to the center of the stage. Mr. Rush announced from the piano that Ms. Beth Green would be performing 'Eavesdrop' by The Civil Wars.

Beth spent the whole last hour scanning the people near the stage to see if she could find Daryl's face. She knew it was pointless but she couldn't help it. The guitarist strummed a chord or two. She closed her eyes and the only thought she had was the feel of Daryl's hands as he touched her for the first time. She took a deep breath and began to sing.

"I don't want to talk right now.

I just want your arms wrapped around

Me in this moment before it runs out.

Oh, don't say that it's over. Oh, no say it ain't so.

Let's let the stars watch, let them stare.

Let the wind eavesdrop I don't care.

For all that we've got, don't let go.

Just hold…..me."

Beth opened her eyes as the bridge played. From across the clearing she saw a man standing in the back doorway of one of the ticket booths. Through the rain it was hard to tell, but she was sure it was Daryl. He'd stayed long enough to hear her sing after all. Her breath caught in her throat and she faltered for a moment just before the next line of the song. She looked nervously to Mr. Rush but he picked up the next line and sang it until she could come back in.

"I can't pull you closer than this,

It's just you and the moon on my skin,

Oh who says it ever has to end,

No don't say that It's over,

Oh, no, say it ain't so.

Let's let the stars watch, let them stare

Let the wind eavesdrop I don't care

For all that we've got don't let go.

Just hold, just hold… me."

As the song finished, Beth realized how still the audience below and even the choir behind her was. They all seemed frozen for a moment. Some of them had tears in their eyes. Then suddenly the applause started. People loved it. Beth looked up again to see if Daryl was still watching but he was gone. The doorway was empty.

After the show, her fellow choir members all congratulated her on her performance. Many said they'd never heard her sing with so much heart and emotion. She thanked them but couldn't wait to get away. She wanted to try and find Daryl.

She grabbed her raincoat and pulled up the hood. Her shoes were soaked as she ran across the fairground toward the campers. A heavily tattooed woman was standing in the doorway of a rusty old Winnebago smoking as Beth passed. She stopped long enough to ask the woman which trailer belonged to the Dixons.

The woman looked her over then asked, "You Merle's new piece?"

Beth didn't understand for a second. Then she realized what the woman meant. "No, I'm a…a friend of Daryl's. I'm looking for him," Beth explained.

"Didn't know Daryl had no friends," the woman said as she pointed to a small trailer further down the row. "That little one there belongs to the Dixons. Daryl lit out earlier though. Merle's probly there but more'n likely he's laid up drunk."

"Thank you," Beth said as she ran toward the trailer. She stopped and knocked several times on the door before she heard a gruff voice yell "Come in."

Beth opened the door to a messy cramped space. Merle sat in a chair directly across from her. He was about halfway through a case of beer. He had several day's growth of beard and was wearing a dirty t-shirt with a worn out pair of fleece sweat pants. The left side of his face was swollen and several shades of red and purple were splotched around his eye.

"Well, hey there darlin'," he said with a slur, his face lighting up with lust. "Whatchu doin' out on such a frog strangler of a day?"

"I'm looking for Daryl. My name's Beth, Beth Greene," she told him.

"Well, sugar, Daryl left for Jacksonville early this morning but I'll be glad to help you with anything you need," he told her with a lewd twinkle in his eye.

"You're Merle. Daryl told me about you," Beth said. She didn't believe that Daryl was gone. She just saw him but Merle was obviously in no condition to try and argue with.

"That's my name. I'm his big brother. He ain't mentioned you, though. I woulda remembered that. My baby brother ain't exactly a ladies' man," Merle joked.

"Will he be back before the carnival pulls out?" she asked.

"Don't know, don't care. Why you lookin' for Daryl?" he asked.

"I just wanted to talk to him," Beth said.

"Look, honey, if you're thinkin' you're gonna put Daryl on a leash, it ain't happenin'. Carnies ain't the settlin' down type. Girls are always sniffin' around in every town we go to lookin' for a good time with a bad boy. That's all you're gon get out of Daryl. He ain't got it in him to be more than a one night stand. But if it's a good time you're lookin' for, you should give me a try. I'm a whole lot more man than than little Darlina'll ever be," Merle explained.

Beth was hurt by Merle's insinuation but then she got angry. How dare he talk about Daryl that way?

"You're wrong about him. Daryl's more of a man than you'll ever be. He puts up with you, takes care of you. Everything he does is because he feels like he owes you for something ," Beth angrily scolded the older man across from her.

"You don't know me and you obviously don't know my brother either. Why don't you take your skinny little ass on back home to your Mama and Daddy?" Merle replied. His face was getting red and the veins at his temple were throbbing.

Beth didn't want to fight. She was tired and cold. She just wanted Merle to stop being such an asshole. "You're killing him, Merle. He's doing all this for you. He hates this carnival. He has to put up with the carny workers makin' fun of him because of the way you treat him and he just takes all of it and buries it. You're not going to last much longer, not at the rate you're going on the booze and pills. Once you're gone I guess he'll be free. Of course, he'll carry that guilt around for the rest of his life but it'll be easier than actually carrying you," Beth told him. She didn't know where she was getting the nerve to speak to a complete stranger this way.

"I don't…don't know what you're talkin' about. I drink once in a while, sure, but I ain't no addict. I pull my own weight," Merle countered.

"Merle, I've only known about you for three days and in that time I've seen you make three different drunken scenes. I've never actually met you before now and I already know that you're a lazy, loud mouthed alcoholic. That's all I really care to know," Beth told him pointedly.

"Get out. Just get the fuck out. I don't have to listen to this," Merle screamed.

"I just have one question and then I'll go. Do you care about your brother? Do you? I know he cares about you. He told me about you being in prison, about how he hoped this carnival would help you get your life back. Do you feel anything for him or are you just using him? Taking what you can get?" Beth asked harshly, now almost in tears.

"Course I care about my baby brother. He's my blood. Anybody try to mess with him, they gotta answer to me," Merle told her.

"But you're the one who's messing with him. You're screwing up his life. He's not thinking for himself. He's doing what he thinks you want him to do. He's miserable. What are you gonna do about that ? Who's gonna answer for that?" she asked sadly as she felt tears slipping down her cheeks.

He didn't seem to have an answer but just stood opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Beth turned and opened the door of the trailer. The rain was pouring and a rumble of thunder shook the air around her. Before she closed the door behind her, she looked back. "You're all he's got Merle. Don't let him down."

She didn't even bother to run as she crossed the soaked ground to get back to the parking lot. Her shoes and skirt couldn't get much wetter. Hershel was waiting near her truck. She dashed over and hugged him.

"Just wanted to make sure you got home safe. I'll follow you," he told her as he helped her into the truck. "Let's get out of this weather."

She cranked the truck and turned up the heater. Her father's car was visible in her rear view mirror as she pulled out onto the road. The drive was a slow one due to the puddles of rainwater standing along the shoulders of the highway but finally they pulled into their yard and parked.

Beth ran to the porch and waited for her father. She wanted a hot bath and a warm bed. Her teeth were chattering from the cold and wet.

Later as she lay in the warm water of the bath, she though again of the man she saw in the ticket booth. It had to have been Daryl. She hoped it was. She hoped he'd heard her sing. Now, all she had to do was make it through tonight and try not to obsess about him. Then tomorrow, she'd make it through another day. It was like breaking an addiction. She would take it one day at a time and then one day it would get easier. One day she wouldn't feel like a piece of her soul was missing. At least she hoped that was how it worked.

She buried her face in her hands and allowed herself one more good cry. But, she promised herself, "This is the last time. I won't let tears be the memory of him." So, she lay back in the bubbles and closed her eyes.

_NOTE – Props to The Civil Wars song "Eavesdrop". If you haven't heard their music, look it up. It's the music of heartbreak._

_Also, as always, Walking Dead is the creation of Robert Kirkman, et al. I am merely a humble fan._


	7. Chapter 7

On Saturday morning, Beth packed a few things and told her father that she was going to visit Maggie. It was a two hour drive but the weather had cleared and the sky was already a crystal blue with white puffy clouds. He told her to call when she got there and kissed her on her way out.

Beth turned on the radio but it was all sports talk so she pushed her Civil Wars CD into the slot. The duo broke up after only two albums but somehow in only a short period of time they wrote and performed songs that were the very soundtrack of her life at the moment. She sang along and sniffed away a few stray tears as she drove.

Maggie's condo was in a nice suburb of the Atlanta metropolis. Beth knew the gate code so she let herself in. After parking her truck, she walked up to the door and rang the bell. It was a little after noon so she figured Maggie would be up writing or catching up on the shows she had on DVR for the past week.

Beth stood on the small porch and waited for a couple of minutes. When she didn't hear anything she rang the bell again. Surely Maggie hadn't gone out after inviting her for the weekend. Beth knocked a couple of times just to be sure that she could be heard. She peeked through the window next to the door but couldn't see anyone inside.

She pulled out her phone and was about to punch in her sister's number when she heard the door rattling. Maggie stood in the doorway hastily pulling a robe on and tucking her hair behind her ears. It was obvious that she wasn't wearing anything underneath the floral printed silk. Beth realized that she must have interrupted something and then she noticed the Jeep parked next to Maggie's Honda.

"Oh, God. Maggie, I'm sorry," she exclaimed.

"No, it's fine," Maggie told her. "I invited you. I just thought you were going to call first."

"I should have. I just didn't think. I'll go and come back later. I'm so sorry," Beth continued to apologize.

Maggie sort of settled herself and smiled. "This is silly. We're sisters and we're both adults. Come on in and make some coffee. We'll be out in a few minutes," she told her sister.

Beth looked conspiratorially at Maggie and mouthed "Glen?" as she walked inside and Maggie nodded vigorously with a huge grin before running back down the hall to the bedroom.

Beth went into the kitchen and started a pot of French roast. Maggie always had the best coffee. There was raisin bread in the cabinet and she popped a couple of slices in the toaster. She realized she had not eaten breakfast before leaving home. After pouring a big mug of the dark brew and adding a dollop of cream, she grabbed the raisin toast and sat down at the little breakfast nook to eat.

As she watched the squirrels scampering around the bird feeder on the patio, Beth heard shuffling from the hallway. A young Asian man walked in. He was cute if a little nerdy but then Maggie always did go for the geeky guys. He was wearing a wrinkled shirt and jeans. His face looked sleepy and his hair was a bit tousled. He walked nervously into the kitchen and stood at the counter.

"HI, I'm Glen," he said rather bashfully.

"Beth," she said as she stood up to shake his hand.

"Yeah, I know. Maggie told me a lot about you," he replied.

"I've heard good things about you," she said. "Sorry I…um….didn't call. Maggie doesn't usually…I mean..nevermind. I'm sorry anyway."

"No. No, no,no," he said quickly. "It's not a problem. It's fine. Really. We, um, Maggie and me, we want to take you out somewhere tonight. Anywhere special you'd like to go?"

"Anywhere's fine as long as it's not the Burger Barn," Beth said. "We're from a really small town. The Cheesecake Factory is a big deal to me. "

"Yeah, Maggie's been telling me about where she grew up," Glen replied but stopped and grinned as Maggie walked in.

The look he gave her just melted Beth's heart. This guy was in love and Maggie seemed to be under the same spell. They had to hold hands while just standing in the kitchen. She was so happy for Maggie but a little piece of her wanted to just curl up and cry looking at them. She wanted this with Daryl. She quickly turned away and took a deep breath and then a big sip of coffee to steady her nerves.

Maggie got Glen's attention on getting coffee and making plans. Beth used her sister's diversionary tactic to get herself under control and she turned back as Glen was making his way toward the door.

"You don't have to go on my account," Beth called after him.

"He has a soccer game today but he's coming back tonight," Maggie informed her. She kissed Glen at the door and they whispered something to each other before he walked out to his jeep. Maggie watched and waved as he drove away then turned back to her sister.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" she asked seriously. "I've never seen you like this over any boy before."

"I think you're the one who needs to do the talking," Beth quipped. "This looks like it's getting serious. He's cute by the way."

Maggie was obviously happy to talk about Glen for a bit and Beth was glad for the distraction.

"He is, isn't he? He's so smart Beth. He designs simulation programs for the military but he's also working on some epic video game. Cool, right?" Maggie gushed. "And he's so sweet. I had to work late and cancel dinner plans one night last week and he brought me take-out to the office. "

Her sister's joy was contagious. She beamed as she listened to Maggie go on and on about Glen.

"When are you bringing him home?" Beth asked. "You know Daddy's gonna want to meet him."

"I was thinking maybe Easter. It's only a few weeks away though. Do you think it's too soon?" Maggie asked anxiously.

Beth placed a hand on Maggie's arm. "I think when Daddy sees how happy you are, he'll love Glen. "

Maggie squeezed Beth's hand. They drank their coffee and chatted for a bit about nothing in particular but Maggie wasn't going to Beth get by without answering her questions.

"Are you ready to tell me now?" she asked as she placed their cups into the sink.

"Maggie I swear to you, I'm fine. It's not a big deal. Let's just have a nice weekend," Beth pleaded.

"It is a big deal, Beth. You were cryin' in a bubble bath two days ago and you almost started cryin' right here a few minutes ago. You've got to talk to me," Maggie told her.

"Fine," Beth mumbled, resting her chin in her hand morosely. "Yes, it's about a guy. I got my heart broken, okay?

"Was it Jimmy?" Maggie asked.

"God no!" Beth exclaimed. "I haven't seen Jimmy in months. You don't know the guy. He's older than me. It's complicated."

"Complicated? He's not married is he?" Maggie asked.

"Maggie! Is that what you think of me? No, he's not married. Jeez!" Beth angrily told her sister.

"I'm sorry. I've just never seen you act this way before Beth. How is it complicated? Explain it to me. I'm worried about you," Maggie said with obvious concern.

"I'll tell you but don't say a word until I'm finished. I don't want your big sister advice or to hear that I'm acting like a kid. If you want to hear about it, just listen," Beth said defiantly.

"Alright,deal," Maggie conceded.

"His name is Daryl. He's from …out of town. He's 30ish. I only knew him for a week and it sounds completely insane but I love him. From the moment I met him it was like a switch inside me flipped on for the first time and everything changed," Beth looked over at Maggie who was trying to hide a smile. "Don't you dare laugh at me either. I know it sounds like a damn romance novel. It's cheesy and sentimental and I never thought it could be real but it is, at least with him it is. He told me that things between us wouldn't work because I'm too young. He was afraid he'd get in the way of the things I have planned so he left town. That's it. That's why I've been crying. There's no fixing things this time, Maggie. That's why I didn't want to talk about it. There's nothing you can do or say that'll make it better. I just have to figure out how to live without him." Despite her efforts, Beth couldn't hold the tears back. She let her head fall onto her arms on the table.

Maggie reached over and placed a hand on Beth's head. "Oh Beth," she said, trying to hold her own tears back, "'I'm sorry."

Beth raised her head and wiped her cheeks. "I'll be fine. I will. Just please don't give me a lecture or say you understand exactly how I feel."

"Okay, I won't. I will say that it sounds like Daryl is a decent guy who's looking out for you. He must really care about you," Maggie said.

"I know that. He thinks he's doin' what's best but why doesn't anybody let me decide what's best for me? I'm tired of everybody makin' decisions for me and tryin' to make things easy. Maybe what I want is for things to be messy and difficult. When you have to work for things, that's what makes them worth havin'," Beth told her sister spiritedly.

"I never thought of it that way but I guess it's true. I'm sorry for what you're goin' through and I'm sorry for treatin' you like a kid. I guess part of lovin' someone is that you want to try and protect them but you don't need protectin' anymore, do you?" Maggie asked.

"I just need my sister to be my friend. If I need more from you, I'll let you know," Beth told her.

"Sounds good. Now how about we get ourselves pulled together and go do a little retail therapy. I need a new dress that'll knock Glen's socks off," Maggie remarked.

"I never turn down a shopping trip," Beth replied.

The girls spent hours roaming little boutiques and shoe stores. Glen arrived back at Maggie's house at 7:00 and they headed out to a new Italian restaurant. The day helped Beth feel a little more like part of the human race again. By Sunday morning, she was ready to head home and get back into the routine of things.

"One day at a time," she said to herself as she took the cd she'd cried to yesterday and stuffed it deep in the glove compartment of the truck. She needed happy music, something upbeat. She turned on the radio and found some bubble gum pop music and turned it up loud.

Beth got home late in the afternoon and went over to spend some time with Ally. She gave her friend a bare bones account of her mystery man date and kept the rest of the story to herself. Ally would make fun of her for getting so serious about a guy so quickly.

Instead of talking about guys, they started planning their trip to the beach once Spring semester was over. The two of the along with two other girl friends were heading to Panama City. It was a trip they'd been looking forward to for months. Beth tried to mirror her friend's excitement and she hoped that she'd be feeling more like celebrating by the time of the their trip.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl tried to make himself leave town before the concert but he couldn't do it. He kept out of sight when he saw her group arriving and once they were on the stage he figured they wouldn't be able to see him through the rain.

The ticket booth was perfectly situated so that he could get a view of the stage without being too close. Beth was in the front row and his eyes never left her. She looked a bit lost and he could tell she was scanning the crowd looking for him. It made him even more resolved to get away from her and out of her life. She needed to move on and forget him.

As the concert drew to a close, she stepped to the center of the stage. He saw her shoulders shrug as she took a deep breath then she closed her eyes and began to sing. At the first note, he felt an aching in the pit of his stomach. The song was nothing he'd ever heard before but it was like someone wrote down what he was feeling and now Beth was singing it to him. Daryl bit the inside of his lip to hold back the tears. He couldn't let anyone see him going soft.

Beth's voice was clear and sweet. He could tell that the song affected her as keenly as it did him. At one point when there was a break in the song, Beth looked up and he knew that she saw him. He ducked further inside the little hut. She faltered for a second but quickly got back into the song. He stood still in his hiding spot until the last few bars of the song and then quickly ducked away in the rain. He was on the road within minutes.

Jacksonville was hours away. He had too much time to think between here and there. Thoughts of Beth were driving him crazy so he switched his mind over to Merle. He didn't know what he was going to do about his brother. He left Merle sitting in the trailer drinking as usual. It was only a matter of time before all the alcohol made him sick or killed him but Merle didn't care. Daryl couldn't make him care. In fact, Daryl couldn't do much of anything with Merle. No one could.

The miles rolled out behind him as his mind wandered from one shitty part of his life to another. The only bright spot in all of it was Beth and he left her behind. He told himself again that it was better this way. He wasn't good enough for her, not like this. If he could just get Merle sorted out, then maybe he'd be able to get his own life in order. Not that he expected Beth to wait but if he could just get it figured out, maybe he could see her again.

Sometime after midnight, he rolled up at the fairground outside Jacksonville. With no money, he couldn't exactly get a hotel room so he curled up on the truck seat and used his backpack for a pillow. Tomorrow, he could hit up one of the old roadies for a place to sleep for a few days until the crew got here. He already paid a guy to tow their trailer. Merle would undoubtedly ride in the trailer, as he usually did, passed out from his previous night's festivities.

He woke up the next morning to a rumble of thunder. The clouds off to the south looked dark and threatening. This was the season for foul weather in the south. He hoped that it would all clear out before the carnival opened for business. They needed the revenue from the Spring Breakers that filled Florida motels and bars at this time of year.

The weather did clear up after a brief spate of thunder showers and Daryl kept himself busy for the next week. He posted the carnival flyers around town and scheduled delivery of porta potties for the day the carnival would arrive. The workers got irate if they didn't have their porta potties. He got everything ready and then found himself with an extra day on his hands. Usually he didn't go ahead to the next stop as early as he'd come to Jacksonville. He found himself wandering around town and hanging out near the water.

In the afternoon he passed a bike shop and noticed a guy working on a Harley in the back alley. He stopped to take a look.

"Hey," Daryl said as he walked up.

The guy didn't say anything but gave Daryl a hard look. Daryl knew guys like this, understood them. Hell, he was a guy a like this. The engine of the bike sputtered and coughed as the man twisted the throttle.

"Sounds like the carburetor," Daryl yelled over the noisy engine.

The man let the engine die and asked, "You know bikes?"

"Yeah, a little," Daryl said. "I mostly worked on my own. I built my bike from scrap parts back in high school and I've worked on a few."

"My name's Scarpelli. I own this place, Hog Heaven Repairs and Custom Work. You lookin' for work?" the man asked.

"I'm Daryl, Daryl Dixon and nah, I ain't lookin' for a job. Wish I was, but I work for a carnival. They're rollin' in tonight," Daryl answered.

"Hmm, always thought that'd be fun," Scarpelli commented.

"It ain't," Daryl said. "If I ever get out of it, I want to do this kind of work."

"You can't just quit, man?" the guy asked.

"It ain't that simple. I sorta bought the thing with my brother a while back and I'm stuck, least for now," Daryl told him.

"Well, I tell you what, if you get loose, give me a call. Any man that can troubleshoot a Harley from the way it sounds is a man who knows his bikes. I'd be willin' to give you a job, see how you work out," Scarpelli told him.

"Yeah?" Daryl asked. "That's cool, brother. I may take you up on that one day. Thanks."

"No sweat. You wanna take a look at a special project I been workin' on?" Scarpelli asked. "I'm thinkin' about enterin' her into the Orlando Chopper Show this year."

"Sure," Daryl agreed and the two men walked inside the small garage.

Scarpelli was a beefy guy in his early 50's, Daryl guessed. He was balding and had a bit of a beer gut but his biceps bulged in a black Hog Heaven t-shirt. He arms were covered in biker tattoos and he wore a large silver skull ring on his right hand. The dude was probably in a biker gang at some point but he must have straightened his life up to be able to own his own shop.

Jake's special project was a beauty. It was like something out of a science fiction movie. Scarpelli had turned an ordinary bike into a chrome alien creature. Daryl had never seen anything like it. As he admired the custom work, the two men heard a female voice from the front of the shop.

"Jake? Jake? You here?" the woman called out.

"Yeah, babe, in the back," the man called to her.

A petite woman of about 35 walked into the back room with a couple of kids in tow. A boy of about six ran over and jumped in Jake's arms while a little girl of about two rode on her mother's hip.

"We were headin' to the ice cream shop and wondered if you wanted to come along but I can see you're busy," she said to the men.

"Honey, this is Daryl Dixon. Daryl, my wife Jeanine. And these two are Gabe and Amy, our kids," Jake said.

"Nice to meet you, Daryl," Jeanine said. "You comin' to work here? Jake's been lookin' for someone."

"No. We talked about it but I can't right now," Daryl replied. "It's a nice place, though."

"Well, it's what this one always wanted. Finally got him to settle down and do it. I didn't mean to interrupt so I'll leave you gents to it. We'll stop by on the way home. Tell Daddy bye," she said to the little boy as they headed out. Jake watched them go with a big smile.

"Nice family," Daryl said.

"Yeah, I got lucky. That woman saved my life. I spent more time than I like to remember in the bottom of a bottle. She set me straight, told me to get sober or leave her the hell alone. I won't ever deserve her but I'll die tryin'," Jake said as he gazed after his wife and kids.

"I hear ya," Daryl said warmly. After a moment of awkward silence between the two men Daryl changed the subject and commented, "Well, your bike is amazin'. I never seen anythin' like it."

"You think? I been workin' on it for over a year in my spare time," Jake told him.

"Well you should put it in the bike show, definitely," Daryl said.

"Thanks, man," Jake replied.

"Listen, why don't you go catch up with your wife and kids. I gotta go anyway. It was really nice meetin' you and thanks again for the offer. I really may call you one day," Daryl told him.

"I hope you do. You take care and don't let the bastards wear you down, brother," Jake said as he offered Daryl his hand. The men shook hands and Daryl left through the back, the way he came in. He continued his walk and headed back toward the fairgrounds.

Jake Scarpelli had the kind of life that Daryl wished he could have one day. The man obviously went through some rough times but he survived. He was doing work he loved and had a family that obviously loved.

Daryl wanted that kind of life and he knew that he wanted it with Beth. If he was going to ever have a chance at that kind of happiness, he had to straighten his life out the way Jake had done. It all started with setting Merle straight once and for all. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that but he knew he'd had enough of being a pussy where his older brother was concerned. It was time to make Merle responsible for his own mess. He'd give him a few months to get clean and take over the carnival or sell it then Daryl had an idea of what he wanted to do. It might be too late but at least he could try.


	9. Chapter 9

The two months until the middle of May and end of her junior year of college flew past for Beth. Between work, school and trying to earn an internship with a record company in Nashville, she kept very busy. All her hard work paid off when she found that she won a one month stint at Davis Music Studios. It was an unpaid internship but it gave her a foot in the door and she hoped she'd make some connections that would pay off once she graduated.

She barely had time to go on the planned vacation with Ally and the other girls, but she didn't want to disappoint them. For most of their week in Florida, she spent her days in a quiet spot on the beach either reading or writing music while Ally and the others partied. She felt like she was being a downer when she was with them but she honestly just couldn't get interested in drinking all day and hanging out with juvenile guys who were way too handsy.

The week that they got back home, Beth left for Nashville. She was sharing a room with another intern, Natalie Gooden, from California. They were both working as go-fers for the producers and artists at the studio. Beth was hoping that meant they'd get to meet some stars. Natalie and Beth were instantly great friends. Both had been writing songs since they were in their early teens and they collaborated on a couple during their month together.

During the last week of their internship, the girls were sitting outside during their lunch break harmonizing and working on some lyrics for a new song. One of the producers heard them as was so impressed that he asked them to sit in on a session with some other musicians. They played their songs and the professional musicians were complimentary. The producer told Beth and Natalie to give him a call once they graduated.

By July 4th, Beth was back home. Glen and Maggie came to spend a weekend and watch the fireworks over the lake. They were still happy as clams and Hershel really seemed to like Glen. He was already teaching him the Greene family secret barbecue marinade.

Once it got dark out, the family drove to their favorite spot near a grove of Bradford pear trees. Beth's heart was in her throat as she tried to hold back her tears. She managed keep it under control until they were outside in the dark.

Glen and Maggie walked out toward the rocky shoreline holding hands as the rockets burst above them. Hershel walked behind them, his gaze turned skyward. Beth stood back and wiped the silent tears that fell. The fireworks weren't what she was seeing. Instead, she saw Daryl's face and felt his hands on her skin. She remembered the faded quilt that was now pushed deep into a back corner of her closet. Three months had come and gone since the last time she was here and it was all still as fresh in her mind as yesterday. Would she ever be able to shake this ghost that haunted her? Did she even want to?

She walked back and sat down on the hood of Glen's jeep. The warm summer air off the lake tousled her hair. As she leaned back and gazed up at the bursting colors in the sky, she wondered where he was now. Did he think about her?

The grand finale of the fireworks began with one big flash after another and Beth quickly wiped her face dry. Her family would be heading back this way and she didn't want to worry them.

Over the rest of the summer, Beth worked every shift she could get at Burger Barn and managed to save enough to get a used Volkswagen Bug for herself as a senior year present. It was a soft pastel green and she loved it.

Ally and Beth didn't spend much time together after their rather disastrous trip to Florida. Ally seemed to be happier hanging out with Megan and Lisa. They all had a lot in common. Beth didn't mind. She and Ally would always be friends but not besties which was fine.

Beth began her senior year of college with a forced sense of optimism. She wanted to make this, her last year at home, a happy and memorable one. There were the usual parties and events as the months passed. Beth even went out on a few dates set up by friends. None of the guys interested her. She was always comparing them to the one guy that never left her thoughts.

The end of the first semester signaled the Christmas holidays. She helped her father put up a huge tree and decorate the entire house. Maggie and Glen were coming to stay for a week so Beth made enough cookies and cakes for a small army. Her mom always said it wasn't Christmas if you didn't gain five pounds from all the sweets.

On Christmas Eve, Maggie and Glen drove up. As they parked, Beth ran out to help them with suitcases and packages. They all bundled into the foyer and shed their coats and gloves. Beth noticed something and grabbed her sister's left hand. A shiny new platinum engagement ring was resting on her finger.

"Oh, Maggie!" Beth said, getting choked up a bit. "He proposed?"

Maggie beamed. "And I said yes!" she exclaimed as she hugged her sister close. "We're getting married!"

Hershel came strolling in and hugged his girls before shaking Glen's hand. "I told ya she'd accept. You never had a thing to be nervous about," he told the young man as he clapped him on the back.

"You knew?" Beth cried. "You knew and you didn't tell me!"

"Glenn called and asked for your sister's hand. I couldn't tell you. You'd never have kept it a secret," Hershel told her.

"Come on, you know he's right," Maggie added, "And it was the best surprise."

"Well you've got to tell me all about it," Beth told her. "I want every detail."

"Sounds like a cue for the guys to find somethin' else to do," Hershel said to Glen. "I got a game on in the den. Do you want to join me?"

Glen readily agreed and followed Hershel to the other room while the girls went to the bedroom to drop the bags and gossip.

"Where did he propose and how did he do it?" Beth asked as they sat back on the bed.

"It was so perfectly Glen, romantic but a little nerdy," Maggie told her. "You know I told you he works on simulation programs for the army? Well, he's been working on this program for the space station. It's all really technical but to work on it he got access to some computers at the observatory. It meant he could come and go as he pleased so he could have the place to himself. He got permission for me to go with him for one night. We had on these VR goggles that show star positions and stuff. As we were watching one of the star names came up as Maggie Greene. He told me that he named a star for me which I loved , but then underneath my name, where the star properties would normally be listed, were the words "Will you be my wife?". I started crying like an idiot and when I pulled the goggles off he was standing there holding this ring. How could I not marry him? That's the sweetest thing ever, right?"

Beth agreed with her sister. They began to talk about the wedding and what kind of dress Maggie wanted. Sometime later Glen came looking for them. Hershel was going out for some chicken and wanted to know if the girls were hungry. They decided they'd all go and look at some Christmas lights while they were out.

After the holiday, Glen and Maggie returned home to Atlanta and Beth had to go back to classes. The next few months were pretty typical for Beth and her father. A late winter storm brought a few inches of snow to the area and had the college closed for a couple of days. Springtime followed quickly and daffodils were soon popping up along the roadside and in their front yard.

In late February, carnival posters began showing up on telephone poles and in store windows. Beth tried not to think about what that meant. Would he come back or not? She could only wait and see.

Ally called her on the day that the trucks began rolling into the fairground. Beth remembered the same time last year when she was the one excited and eager to go. She was eager again this year but for a different reason. She wanted him to be there. If only she could walk up to the ferris wheel again and look up to see him at the top.

The girls drove to the fairground and parked. They made their way across the busy field and Ally stopped to talk to a couple of guys who were working on ride set up. As Ally flirted, Beth asked one of the guys about the carnival owners.

"Do you know if Daryl Dixon is here this year? He's one of the owners," Beth explained.

The young roughneck seemed confused but then he said, "Oh, you're talking about Southern Star Shows. That's the one owned by the Dixons. We're Big Top Rides and Games. Southern Star changed their route this year so we got this stop."

"Oh, I see," Beth said. Her heart felt crushed. Why had she expected anything else? He plainly told her that she needed to get on with her life, that he didn't fit into her plans. Why did it seem that now none of her plans mattered? All she wanted was another chance with him. She excused herself from the little group and walked back toward her car.

She decided to sit in the car and wait for Ally. As she watched the workers scurrying around she noticed a woman walking by holding the leash to a tiny dog. It was the same woman that Beth spoke to in the Winnebago last year.

Jumping out of the ca, Beth ran after the woman. "Hey, you probly don't remember me but I spoke to you last year when you were here," Beth said as she approached.

"Yeah, yeah. I remember. It was raining cats and dogs. I was working for the Dixons then," the woman told Beth in a deep, raspy smoker's voice.

"That's what I was wondering about," Beth said. "Do you know where they are now?"

"The Dixons? Sorry sugar. I quit a coupla months after we left here. Things got bad. They couldn't meet payroll and I sure as hell can't work for nothin'. Last I heard they were tryin' to sell," she related as the little mutt on the leash began to pull toward a nearby tree.

Beth thanked her and walked back to the car. She crawled into the driver's seat and laid her head on the steering wheel. She just wanted to stop remembering and stop wanting him. Would there ever be a day when it didn't hurt?

To pass the time, she pulled out her notebook and began writing down song ideas and bits of lyrics. Graduation was only a few months away now and she already sent her resume' to the producer at Davis Music. Natalie texted to say that she'd done the same. If they were lucky, they might both end up back in Nashville together after graduation.

Ally called after Beth had been sitting in the car for about an hour. "Where the heck are you?" she asked. "I've been looking everywhere."

"Oh, sorry, I just came back to the car. I was waiting for you," Beth replied.

"Waiting in the car? What's wrong with you, Beth? You never want to have fun anymore. I don't get it. You've been this way since last year. God, just go on home. I'll get a ride from someone," Ally told her.

Okay, just be careful , Ally," Beth said as she ended the call. It was hard but she knew she was bringing her friends down. They were all giddy with the excitement of their upcoming graduation and summertime. She was looking forward to being finished with college and moving on but not in the same way they were. Nothing had quite the same shine to it for her anymore. When Daryl left, he took it with him.

As she pulled up in the drive at home, she received a text from Ally. "Sorry to be so mean earlier. I know you're working something out. I'm here if you need me. Sometimes she felt like she and Ally were heading in totally opposite directions but then, at times like this, she realized they'd never lose the bond they shared. She sent Ally a text back with an emoji of a hug before she waltzed in and dropped onto the sofa next to her Dad. They ended up watching PBS for several hours before turning in.

Maggie was in full on bridezilla mode by the beginning of May. The wedding was set for September 19th at their family church followed by a reception at the farm. Beth was doing her best to help but her graduation was May 10th and Hershel was planning a party for his youngest daughter on that night.

Beth got word from Davis Music that they wanted to hire her as a production assistant starting in June. She gladly accepted and immediately started looking for a small apartment in the Music City. Maybe things were finally turning around.

Graduation night included all the pomp and circumstance as usual. In fact, it wasn't that much different from high school. A lot of the faces were the same. There were just fewer of them. After the ceremony, Beth drove home. The house had lights across the porch and tables full of food were set up inside. At least 30 people were already mingling and talking. Her father must have invited everyone in town. She dreaded having to walk through the crowd and listen to all the well-wishers. If only she'd said no to the whole party idea from the beginning but it was too late now.

There was a soft light coming from the barn and she remembered her dad saying something about Nellie being sick. Nellie was Beth's favorite horse. She was Nervous Nellie for everyone except Beth. When Beth rode her, they got along perfectly.

Beth slipped off her heels and left them on the passenger seat. She stepped out barefoot onto the warm clay of the driveway and hurried across to the barn so she wouldn't be seen. There was just enough light to see her way to the stall where Nellie's nose was already poking out as the old horse looked around curiously.

"Hey, girl," Beth cooed as she stroked the horse's nose. "How are you?" Nellie nuzzled against Beth's cheek. "I wish I could just stay our here with you. Would you hide me? Huh?"

The horse jerked back a bit as if startled and Beth realized someone was standing behind her in the doorway of the barn. She turned to see a dark silhouette framed against the moonlight.

"Hey," she heard him say. Beth froze. Her body started to shake as he stepped into the light from the overhead bulb in the barn.

"Happy graduation," he told her softly.

"Are you real?" she asked him haltingly.

"I thank so," he said. "Want to pinch me to find out for sure?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked before he could even finish his sentence.

"Heard you were graduatin' and I brought you a present," he answered as he held out a small square box.

She couldn't even move her arm to take the box from him. After a moment he pulled it back.

"You want me to go?" he asked softly.

She was trying so hard to keep from crying that she couldn't speak so she just shook her head as she stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Beth," he said. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I was in over my head with everything last year, with Merle, the carnival and most of all with you. I had feelins that I didn't know how to handle. It was so much so fast. I was afraid of what you were doin' to me and even more what I might do to you. I didn't want to put you in the middle of my mess and there's no way I could have kept it separate. I wanted you to know that."

"Is that all?" she managed to squeak out.

"No, I, um, well I was wonderin' if you were still movin' to Nashville like you planned?" he asked sheepishly.

She nodded and he continued quickly. " If y'are, could I maybe take you out sometime? See, I'm livin' there now myself. I'm a mechanic at Chopper Cycles. I got an apartment and everything. Real legit, ya know?" he told her.

Beth couldn't believe it. "So you're not with the carnival anymore?"

"Nah, not for the last few months. Merle got hisself clean. Said a mad blonde pixie came to visit him durin' a thunderstorm and made him realize some things. You ever heard anything as crazy as that?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"That's…yeah that's pretty crazy," she said.

"Anyway, he's runnin' it by hisself now. I left in January," Daryl related. "You never answered me, though. Will you let me take you out sometime?"

"I …. I want to, Daryl. I want to but I'm scared. Are you sure? You're not goin' to run away again if things get serious? I don't think I can survive that again," she admitted.

"You won't have to. You won't ever have to worry about me leavin' again. I swear," he promised.

She stood just looking at him for another moment or two. "I'm still not sure you're real," she told him.

"Come 'ere. I'll show ya," he said as he pulled her into his arms. When their bodies touched it was the same feeling as before. Electricity. She gasped but he didn't waste time before his lips came down to meet hers. She melted against him. When he finally pulled back, her heart was racing and she was out of breath.

"Damn, I've wanted to do that for so fuckin' long," he said as he breathed against her hair.

"I think….I think my answer is yes. I'd like to see you again after I move, but only on one condition," she told him as she kept her arms tightly around his neck.

"What? I'll do it. I don't care what it is," he said.

"You have to come inside with me and meet my Daddy and Maggie and Glen. It's a party so half the town's here as well. Think you can handle it?" she asked as she grinned up at him mischievously.

"Damn, you know my weak spot, woman," he told her. "I'll do it but will you open your present first?"

She took the small box from his hand and lifted the lid gently. Inside, nestled in cotton was a thin silver chain with a circular glass pendant about the size of a quarter. Inside the glass was a small white flower. "A pear blossom?" Beth asked as she held the delicate necklace in her hand.

"Umhm," he nodded. "I'll always remember that day."

"Me too," she told him. "Will you do the clasp for me? I want to wear it." She turned and he fixed it for her.

"It's perfect, Daryl. Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Had to be perfect for you," he told her. "You're the most perfect thing I ever seen."

"Daryl," she said, as tears of joy filled her eyes, "I love you. It's crazy and maybe it's too soon to say it but I don't want to go for another year or even another second without letting you know. "

"I reckon I'm crazy too then, cause I love you back," he told her as he picked her up and twirled her around. Nellie didn't seem to like it too much because she kicked at the stall door until he put her back down.

"You ready?" she asked as she took his hand.

"You sure about this?" he asked earnestly. "I don't think they're gon be too happy to see me."

"You're with me. That's all they need to know. Do you want to do it?" she asked him.

"I'm with you," he said.

They walked hand in hand across the yard and onto the porch. Daryl stopped and nervously straightened his shirt as they got to the door.

"You look handsome. Don't worry," Beth assured him.

"Pfft!" he said as he rolled his eyes and brushed at his hair. "Let's do this."

Beth kept hold of his hand and opened the door. Hershel and Maggie were waiting across the room with expectant looks on their faces. Beth greeted several of her neighbors and friends as she made her way to her family.

"Daddy, Maggie," she said as she walked up to them, "This is Daryl Dixon."

Maggie flinched slightly at the name. Hershel looked at Beth and then back to the man standing before him. "Mr. Dixon," he said as he extended his hand.

"Nice to meet ya, sir," Daryl said stiffly as they shook hands.

"So you're a friend of Bethy's?" Hershel asked.

"Yessir," Daryl said, "I guess you could say that."

Maggie eyed the man before her suspiciously while Hershel chatted with him. She remembered Beth telling her about the man who left her broken hearted. What, she wondered, was he doing back here again and was this another heartbreak waiting to happen for her little sister?

One of the guests at the party walked up and told them that everyone was waiting to hear Beth sing. She knew they'd ask. They usually asked her to sing at any kind of get together. She looked up shyly at Daryl and he nodded so she left him standing awkwardly next to Hershel and Maggie and walked to the center of the room.

"Y'all want to hear a song?" she asked as the group of people in the room quieted. A chorus of yeahs and some clapping assured her that they did. "Well, this is one by Taylor Swift that kinda matches my mood tonight. I hope you like it."

_I was in college working part time waiting tables._

_I left a small town and never looked back._

_You were a flight risk with a fear of falling_

_Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts._

_Do you remember we were sittin' there by the water?_

_You put your arms around me for the first time._

_You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter._

_You are the best thing that's ever been mine._

As Beth sang that line, she looked directly at Daryl. He was so proud of her that he wanted to shout out to everybody how he felt. As the song continued, Maggie stepped closer to Daryl. "Beth told me a little about you last year. You did the right thing then. I can see that you care about her. Just know that if you don't do right by her, you have to answer to me. You don't mess with the Greenes," she warned him.

"Yes, ma'am. I learned that lesson last year from Beth. My brother got a little dose of it as well. You got my word that all I want to do is spend my life making that little woman happy," Daryl replied.

"Now I can say that it's nice to meet you," Maggie said at last. "Don't make me regret it."

Just then Beth rushed up and grabbed Daryl around the waist. She was grinning from ear to ear. "This is absolutely the best night ever," Beth gushed as her family gathered around her. She stood on tip toes to whisper quickly into Daryl's ear, "And you're the best part of it." They shared a smile and he kissed her quickly on the forehead.

Daryl realized how much his life had changed from this time last year. He was happy now, looking forward to the future. None of it would have happened without the little blonde standing next to him. The first time he saw her when he was standing at the top of the ferris wheel, he knew she was something special. Pulling her closer against his side he realized he'd won the biggest carnival prize of all time and he was never going to let go.

PROPS TO TAYLOR SWIFT'S SONG 'MINE'

ALSO TO THE GENIUS OF ROBERT KIRKET ET AL AT AMC'S WALKING DEAD.

~FIN~


End file.
